


Ghost of Despair's Past

by Fey_Crawford



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa Zero, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Despair, Despair Era (Dangan Ronpa), Despair Kirigiri Kyouko, F/F, Implied Cannibalism, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Investigations, Mind Games, Paranoia, Self-Doubt, Self-Hatred, The Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy, Torture, Ultimate Despair (Dangan Ronpa)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-02-24 15:54:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 70,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21960529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fey_Crawford/pseuds/Fey_Crawford
Summary: After Class 78 lock themselves inside of Hope's Peak Academy, the mastermind invites Kirigiri Kyouko to a private game before the killing game, offering her a chance to redeem the Kirigiri name and stop The Tragedy. As a detective, she can't turn down this chance. Even if the mastermind is strangely liberal with information.One of the prime witnesses, Enoshima Junko, attempts suicide, apparently unable to cope with the guilt of her role in the downfall of the Reserve Course and Class 77-B. Kyouko managed to resuscitate her and, in an attempt to prevent further unrest within the school, goes along when Junko pretends to be her girlfriend to explain what some students saw. Slowly but surely, Kyouko finds herself falling for the surprisingly smart fashionista, in spite of herself.As she draws closer and closer to the bottom of The Tragedy, her talent betrays her time and again as she is torn between being a Kirigiri and being herself. Her failure was a foregone conclusion, but how far will she sink in the murky waters of The Tragedy, her family and her own self, with only Junko to cling to? Despair is always right around the corner.
Relationships: Enoshima Junko/Kirigiri Kyoko
Comments: 16
Kudos: 59





	1. Welcome to Despair Academy!

**Author's Note:**

> This will not have a happy ending, as most people familiar with the series can already guess. It will contain major spoilers for DR:THH, Danganronpa Zero and SDR2, to some extend. It is advised that you finish the games/novel first, if you plan to. This will not follow the continuity of DR:3 and mostly disregard its existence. No brainwashing anime, no real Chiaki, no Ryouta. Most of this will take place prior to the game of mutual killing, though there may be an epilogue after the events of SDR2. No spoilers for V3 (currently, maybe in the epilogue).
> 
> I try to keep everyone in character and keep it canon compliant, though some deviations are necessary, I suppose. Feel free to post a comment if anyone seems too OOC or something doesn't fit the canon of the series, I will either try to change it or argue my point. It has been a while since I played through all the games and my memory is hardly perfect.
> 
> Also, Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday to Mukuro and Junko! Even if it's a day late because registration takes a day, apparently. Such despair...

"Kyouko... I’m glad you could make it.“ I coldly look at the man in front of me, Kirigiri Jin, my biological father. The man responsible for the end of the world. No, perhaps that isn’t entirely fair. He was more of a figurehead for the Steering Committee, someone to cut off and shift the blame to if the situation got out of control. And yet, he was the one to survive while the Steering Committee died. Suspicious, without a doubt.  
  
"There isn’t a lot of things to keep me busy, since the lock-down began.“ It’s my fault as well, I fear. I tried to solve the incidents leading up to The Tragedy, as it is called. Needless to say, I failed. It was my fault, I failed my family, my class, the entire world... when they needed an Ultimate Detective, they got me instead. Me, a useless girl that couldn’t even figure out who was responsible for a series of murders, even if one of them took place in front of her very eyes.  
  
"I have been talking to Enoshima-san, she asked me to put you in charge of security. We decided to put up more cameras, in case anyone else is... infected, so to speak. I would ask you to keep this to yourself. We shouldn’t worry the other students any more than they already are.“ We tried to escape from despair, in these fortified walls. Yet, ever since the doors closed, I feel... caught. I don’t like this situation, not one bit, even if I agreed to the plan. We’re sitting ducks here, just begging for the Ultimate Despair to bomb us into oblivion. And yet, there hasn’t been a single coordinated attack on Hope’s Peak Academy since The Tragedy started. That’s the most worrisome detail, in my opinion. Why would the mastermind spare us, after doing everything in their power to destroy Hope’s Peak Academy?  
  
"Has she? I thought you wanted her to take care of that.“ She has been... most helpful. I doubt we could have kept the class in check, without her. She functioned as a connecting link for most of us, keeping rash people from foolishly rushing to their doom for their gang, friends or family. She managed to convince Mondo and Leon to come back. Without her, half of us probably wouldn’t even be here. While she was also one of the main suspects, the investigation of ‘Otonashi Ryouko’ all but confirmed her innocence in all of this, beyond riling up the Reserve Course. And the class trusts her, unlike my father or me.  
  
"She rejected that offer, since she was the ‘mastermind’ behind one of the main events that would culminate in The Tragedy. To be honest, I’m worried about her. She seemed very... distraught over the regrettable actions of the Reserve Course.“ I would imagine. She seemed to consider herself a revolutionary of some sort, allying herself with the Reserve Course and denouncing the ‘corrupt leadership of Hope’s Peak Academy’, as she so bluntly put it. I can’t say I disagree with her on that particular topic. Still, her actions ultimately served the mastermind, well-intentioned as they may have been. Or perhaps things would have been different, if the Steering Committee hadn’t done to her what it did. Perhaps she would have been a saviour then. Who can tell?  
  
"Any new leads on Matsuda Yasuke?“ He is our main suspect, at least regarding the Reserve Course. According to what we learned, he abused the trust of the Steering Committee to wipe Junko’s mind and possibly installed a puppet leader in her stead, an impostor that took charge of the Reserve Course and guided them towards their doom. After the death of the Steering Committee he vanished and kept a low profile, probably meeting up with the other members of the Ultimate Despair.  
  
"None. There are no new leads to be found, Kyouko. The entire country... no, the entire world was plunged into chaos.“ I hate this. I want to use my talent, but the case is closed... Matsuda is the culprit, or so it seems. And he would have been capable of using brainwashing and such to manipulate people into doing his bidding. If anyone could do this, it would be the Ultimate Neurologist.  
  
"Then tell me about the Kamukura Project instead. And don’t give me any nonsense about ‘confidential information’ now, we are far past that point.“ I cross my arms and glare at him, another thing he withheld. Would this have been the key for solving the mystery in time? It seems Matsuda was somehow involved or knew of that project as well, at least that was a result of my investigation of his room. He departed rather abruptly, it would seem... we were on to him, after all.  
  
"I doubt there’s anything I could tell you, at this point. You most likely figured it all out on your own, by now.“ He laughs awkwardly, his joke falling flat and his laughter withering when faced with my cold glare. I’m not in the mood for stupid jokes, least of all for his stupid jokes. "I have some files I can give you later. Here, this key can unlock any doors in the entire academy, save the main door. The biggest concerns are invasions from the ground or the roof. You can access the camera feeds of the entire building from the data lab. Um, would you like to...“  
  
"I need to get going. Goodbye.“ I reject his attempt at small talk, nipping it in the bud as I take the master key and leave. It may be childish, but... I just don’t want to deal with it. Not yet. I leave the headmaster’s office and a rather dejected headmaster behind, heading straight towards the data lab. That should give me a good overview of the entire situation, maybe another angle will reveal new information to me. I can’t fail again, I need to make sure that everything is safe. At times like these, I wish my talent wasn’t so... reactionary.  
  
I take a seat in the data lab, looking at the empty screens in front of me. I press one of the keys on the keyboard, suddenly they all turn on. This is... quite extensive. Almost anything except for the toilets and bathhouse is guarded by cameras, even our rooms. I don’t remember agreeing to this... but I don’t really mind either. Especially since I’m the only one with access to the data lab, as of now. Besides, I have nothing to hide. Suddenly, the screen flickers...  
  
"Upupupu! If it isn’t Kirigiri Kyouko!“ A black and white bear appears on all screens, with a white belly and a strange red eye. That would be...  
  
"Monokuma. I take it there is a traitor in our midst?“ I cut right to the point. The systems of Hope’s Peak Academy didn’t have access to the internet at large, only internal services like encyclopaedias and other scientific or otherwise relevant works for developing talent could be accessed, as well as internal communication. That said, only someone inside of this building should be capable of manipulating any data in theory, according to Chihiro. The main door could not have been opened without someone noticing and all other exits were blocked quite thoroughly, no one should be able to get in. Or out, for that matter...  
  
"How do you know that, huh?! I could be the Ultimate Hacker, for all you know! Alas, I’m only the Ultimate Bear... what am I saying, only?! I’m the Ultimate Bear, RAAAWR! ... Well, back to the topic at hand. I was going to tell you about that traitor either way. The leader of the Ultimate Despair is hiding somewhere in plain sight! One of the 17 people inside of Hope’s Peak Academy is not just a member of the Ultimate Despair, but their very leader! Take them down and The Tragedy itself might go *Poof*! Or join them in their despair, for all I care! If you find them, that is.“ The... leader? We weren’t even aware that there is an actual leader...  
  
"I assume that ‘the 17 people’ only refers to my class and my father?“ My father, the Ultimate Despair...? I can’t rule that possibility out, with the amount of information I have available. So far, there are three main suspects. My father, Chihiro... and Junko, though that’s very unlikely. Anyone else seems even less likely, but that doesn’t mean I will get sloppy. I need evidence. This will be very difficult, assuming the information this diabolical bear is feeding me is indeed correct.  
  
"That’s right! One of your precious friends is the True Ultimate Despair! Or maybe even your own flesh and blood?! And if you, Miss Detective, can’t find them... you all will die! Eh, maybe... if I feel like it. Anyway, your pride as a detective is on the line here!“ That may be true. This would be an ideal opportunity to make up for my previous failure. However, that seems too good to be true.  
  
"I suspect that you are merely trying to sow dissidence and destroy us from the inside. There is no evidence that you weren’t uploaded prior to The Tragedy.“ It’s a little bit frustrating. Still, it’s rather likely. Apart from Chihiro and father, no one had access to the data lab since the lock-down, until now. Unless someone managed to steal the key, I suppose. Mukuro? Sakura? They would be the best at sneaking around unnoticed, even if Sakura doesn’t look like it. Then again, stealth wouldn’t have been necessary at all if father left his office unlocked one time.  
  
"How cold of you! Here I am, send by the mastermind to help you out, and you just want to reject me? You’re tearing me apart, Kyouko! Just look at my stuffing, I...“ Annoying... that’s the impression I get from it. Childish. Something like this, the messenger of the mastermind that ended the world? It’s meant to mock me. To provoke me. Regardless, I won’t fall for that. Emotions only get in the way of an investigation, save them for later. Or just drop them altogether, that’s even better.  
  
"Quit your whining. Tell me who you are, maybe I’ll be more inclined to believe you then.“ It probably isn’t anyone inside of the building. It would be too easy to find out by simply asking the others about what everyone was doing at the time of the call and comparing it to the camera feed, I would be guaranteed to find the one doing it rather soon.  
  
"Why, I’m glad you asked! I’m Monoookuma! I’m a bear, as you can see. But not like one of those chumps that sit around in the forest all day and scratch their fat asses as they go extinct, you know? Not like the ones Tanaka-senpai uses to slaughter humans either. I’m a self-made bear! Well, a human made me, more specifically the mastermind, but I’m fully independent! You can think of me as an AI.“ An AI? That makes Chihiro even more suspicious than he was to begin with. He also supported Junko in her protest against Hope’s Peak Academy... was he using her, instead of the other way around?  
  
"Does the mastermind have accomplices among the students here?“ At this he seems to turn red and sweat. Is that supposed to show he’s embarrassed? A difficult question? Or it could just be to make me think that, leading me astray. One of the fundamental problems of detective work, reading the reactions of others. I don’t know enough about Monokuma or the mastermind to draw a solid conclusion, one way or the other.  
  
"Well, since you’re the one asking... yes! Yes, the mastermind has an accomplice in this school. Or two, you could say, but only one that knowingly works for the Ultimate Despair. But they won’t stop you. I’m here to make sure it’s going to be fair and square! That’s what I’m here for. I’ll support you and make sure it’s a fair and despairful investigation!“ Hm. That is awfully nice. Too nice, in fact. Is the mastermind trying to distract me with this investigation so that they can operate in secrecy? They would be foolish to alert me to their presence, if that was the case.  
  
"Tanaka-senpai... you referred to a student of Class 77-B before, I believe? Is it correct to assume that they are a part of the Ultimate Despair?“ According to the last reports we received, Class 77-B has been annihilated by the Reserve Course. But that doesn’t have to be true, does it? He could mean someone else, Tanaka isn’t that unusual as a name...  
  
"Why, your mind is as sharp as ever! You may be the only one to match the mastermind, at least somewhat. Not me, though! But to answer your question, yes, those chumps joined the Ultimate Despair! Good thing you can’t communicate that little secret to the outside world, isn’t that right~?“ I grind my teeth, he’s right. We haven’t tried to contact anyone for weeks, since it was decided that communication with the outside world should be shut down, to avoid... contamination, so to speak. Not that it particularly mattered, Mondo bashed the radio device in after receiving messages about how most of his gang was eradicated and how the few survivors joined the Ultimate Despair willingly. It was... gruelling.  
  
"I can’t say I’m surprised, they were a bunch of troublemakers. However, back to the topic at hand... how are you supposed to support me?“ I will file that information away for later. Junko had a bit of contact with them during a class project, I should ask father about it. I doubt he will withhold information about something so harmless. I should ask her as well.  
  
"I’m here to make sure you don’t get stuck during your investigation. There are a lot of hints, scattered inside the academy. If you can’t make any progress, I’ll nudge you in the right direction to keep things interesting! Oh, and I’ll make sure to inform you if anyone else manages to find a hint that was meant for you.“ A detective game, it would seem. The mastermind really is trying to mock me. A game I excel in... they probably want to assert their superiority and humiliate me. A superiority complex? Or perhaps an inferiority complex? Well, those are often the same thing. Regardless, the mastermind feels a need to assert themselves by putting me down. Another interesting bit for profiling.  
  
"How do I know the information you provide is accurate?“ That is another problem with detective work, possibly the most essential one. Telling apart facts from fiction. Is it genuine or a false hint the culprit presented to me? Is it a hint at all or is that merely wishful thinking?  
  
"You wouldn’t be much of a detective if you couldn’t figure that out on your own, would you? Geez, kids these days, so coddled and spoiled rotten! Well, fine. It wouldn’t be fair if we went and faked documents of Hope’s Peak Academy and such, I suppose. In fact, we’re not interested in mixing in false information at all, not if the truth is so much better! Puhuhuhu!“ Can I assume that all the information I’ll be presented is real, then? That would be naive. Or maybe not, if this played into the pride the mastermind seems to hold. Will their pride be their downfall, as it was for so many before them? Or is it my own pride that may be mine?  
  
"Why would you even help me to begin with? There is nothing to be gained. You won, for all intends and purposes...“ I frown slightly, that has been bothering me since the beginning. Assuming any of this is true... the mastermind has nothing to gain. Why would one do something, if there were only negative outcomes or neutral ones, at best? I don’t see any victory condition for them. The mastermind is putting themselves at risk, for... what, exactly? They already won. I suppose this might lead back to the inferiority complex and the need to prove themselves.  
  
"There’s nothing to be gained...? Nothing to be gained?! Quit your nonsensical materialistic thinking! When there’s nothing left to gain, you can obtain the ultimate treasure! Despair! For the sake of despair, this game was made. For the sake of despair, this world was destroyed. Just for the sake of despair, the mastermind would do anything!“ A fanatic, then? Something like a weird cult. That seems possible, considering the Reserve Course and their actions. Over 500 students, killing themselves after their assault on the main building? That seems like brainwashing. Somewhat similar behaviour has been observed in cultists that believed the end of the world was about to happen before. Just turns out the Reserve Course was right, unlike all those before them. Still...  
  
"In other words... the mastermind wants to despair?“ That is a very strange notion. Why would anyone want to despair...? Despair is generally considered the most unpleasant emotion anyone could feel, not even the kind of pain certain people might enjoy. And yet... the Reserve Course seemed to embrace that concept whole-heartedly. And the mastermind can’t be sane, they don’t want to rule. They’ve made no demands, nor is there anything to gain from the current situation. Not for them, not for anyone. A lot of copy-cats tried to claim the position and make demands, but the Ultimate Despair always responded with a public execution of the self-proclaimed masterminds, at least from what we heard in here. Regardless, there is nothing to gain, in the world they created...  
  
"Whether you despair or bring the mastermind despair, there will be despair. That’s what we’re all about!“ I don’t think I ever dealt with someone this insane. From serial killers to petty criminals, I thought I had seen it all. But this is definitely something else entirely. The mastermind behind The Tragedy wants to fail... is that their motive? Did they declare the entire world their enemy, in hopes of failing? Did they... fail to fail? It’s too soon to conclude that these assumptions are true, but it would be a unique challenge, certainly.  
  
"The subject of the investigation will be... what, exactly? The identity of the mastermind? The Tragedy itself?“ There are a lot of events that might be related to that. The Parade, for example. Otonashi Ryouko... Junko. That much is confirmed. However, there were still reported sightings of Enoshima Junko, while the real Junko was... incapacitated, as it turned out. Even recordings of some school cameras that showed the real Junko as Ryouko and the fake one, at the same time in different places. It wasn’t edited either, from what anyone could tell.  
  
"Everything! There will be interesting little treats for all tastes! Though you only have to concern yourself with the identity of the mastermind, to win our little game. Just tell me the name, once you’re ready! You get... as long as you need! See, isn’t that nice of me?“ Quite confident. At least this persona the mastermind created. However, that doesn’t tell me much about the real mastermind. Chihiro is the main suspect, he most likely has an inferiority complex and he is the only one capable of creating such an advanced artificial intelligence. And this one seems fairly advanced, being able to answer questions I doubt its creator could have foreseen and not sounding like search engine replies either. That means... he is the mastermind or an accomplice.  
  
"I will start with my investigation, then. You have already provided me quite a few leads, after all.“ Class 77-B... I will ask father about that. Father... could he be the mastermind, after all? He would be in a position to pressure Chihiro. Since he admitted to being a guy and was confronted about his involvement with the leaks, I don’t see what Junko, fake or real, could pressure him with. Still, this seems... too easy. Only three suspects?  
  
"That’s the spirit! But don’t think you’ll solve this little mystery after a single day. Nope! We’ve got to kill some time in here, possibly years. Still, you’ll need every scrap that you can find. Hey, hey?! Where do you think you’re going?! I’m not done tal-“ I slam the door shut and lock it, walking straight towards the headmaster’s office. Makoto greets me on the way, but I don’t pay him any mind. I’m in a vital investigation, no time for distractions. Detective work comes before anything else.  
  
"Oh, Kyouko? I didn’t expect you to be back so soon. Did you think about it? Have a seat, I can make us some coffee.“ Could that bastard really be the mastermind? *Sigh* I take a seat on one of the sofas, cautiously looking at him. He would have had everything one could need to set The Tragedy in motion. Connections, resources, influence... and he asked me to investigate the incidents. Was that the prelude to the ‘game’ I’m participating in now?  
  
"I want information on Class 77-B. Anything you can give me.“ He looks over his shoulder while preparing the coffee, surprised. If he truly was the mastermind, he’d be one hell of an actor. Betraying the Kirigiri family, for... what, exactly? Despair? And no one noticed? Grandfather should have kept multiple eyes on him, I’m sure of that. Did he do all that, without getting caught once? That seems... unlikely. Still, none of the suspects so far seem very likely. All of them were closely watched by the security at Hope’s Peak Academy, which is comparable to the military.  
  
"Class 77-B? The troublemakers? I should have some files on them, if you’re interested. What did you want, exactly?“ What would he have to gain by this charade, if he were the mastermind? No, that line of questioning doesn’t work, considering what I know of the mastermind so far. The motives of the mastermind, or as close as I am to them, as of now, are despair, pride and an inferiority complex. And yet, the mastermind has to appear well-adjusted. That makes everyone a suspect, no matter how harmless they appear. This doesn’t help me...  
  
"Previous convictions, secret files, anything you have on them. Especially the connection between Junko and them, the school project she was involved in.“ Someone took her identity and used her charisma and impact on the class to brainwash them. Is that how it happened? Charisma isn’t easy to imitate, by no means. Then, was it Junko herself? No. In the events that led up to The Tragedy, she was closely supervised at all times and still recovering from whatever Matsuda did to her. That should be impossible as well. However, father and Chihiro were not supervised as heavily...  
  
"Well, they were a rather troubled class, prior to their... unfortunate and untimely fate. It was thought that someone like Junko could lighten up their mood and bring them together, much like she did with your own class. According to the reports I received, it went without a hitch. Disregarding Souda.“ Souda, huh? Ultimate Mechanic, if I’m not mistaken.  
  
"What do you mean? I’m aware that disciplinary actions and an investigation about him were initiated, but that’s about it.“ I didn’t consider it to be connected to my case, it was just a disciplinary action, after all.  
  
"Why the sudden interest in those things? You never seemed to care about that before.“ Father gives me a cold look, completely unlike his normal goofy self. Does he feel cornered about something...?  
  
"I thought about the case some more. I find it rather likely that there was a traitor in their class that enabled the actions of the Reserve Course.“ Or the entire class... still, I have no intention to share this information or spread it. It would be a danger to anyone uninvolved and a danger to me if I talked about it with someone related to the mastermind. The mastermind is insane, without a doubt. There’s no telling what they’d do, if they felt cornered. Killing the entire class certainly wouldn’t be out of the question, for them. It wouldn’t be very high up on the list of crimes they committed. Probably not even difficult. There’s also the question about how I intend to apprehend the mastermind, even if I do figure out who it is...  
  
"I see. Well, fine. I suppose it wouldn’t do, to regulate your talent at a time like this. I will tell you. Souda was... found guilty of murder, by the investigation team, among other things. He was targeting Owada’s gang, most likely out of revenge for bullying. Definitely guilty in quite a few robberies and murder cases, suspect in some more. The Steering Committee decided to cover this incident up and asked the Ultimate Therapist, Gekkogahara, to treat him. If you think there was a traitor, I’d look at him. He only committed crimes away from the school, though.“ I see... this fits something I overheard from Mondo when he spoke to Taka, something about his gang members being attacked and taken out. Just prior to The Tragedy. He went out a few times to find the culprit, but never found him. I didn’t concern myself with it, but that might have been a mistake.  
  
"He committed murder, multiple times, and the Steering Committee decided to do... what, exactly? ‘Disciplinary action’? What’s that supposed to mean?!“ I can feel a bit of anger rising to my voice, these absolute fools... if there’s one thing I won’t hold against the mastermind, it’s getting rid of the Steering Committee and the entire corrupt foundation of Hope’s Peak Academy. Saves me the trouble.  
  
"As I said, they decided to cover it up and used new experimental treatment methods to... help him. Brainwashing, if you want my honest opinion on it.“ Hm. I suppose that makes sense. The Steering Committee would have never allowed something so dangerous coming to light and they wouldn’t have stopped at anything to prevent harming the reputation of the school. It shouldn’t surprise me, after what happened to the student council. Or the messy follow-up with Junko.  
  
"Was he the only one?“  
  
"There were a few suspicious cases involving most of the others as well. A man apparently tried to sexually assault Saionji Hiyoko during a shared concert, only to turn up dead a few days later. It was suspected that one of her enraged fans did it. Another case involving Kuzuryu’s sister and another girl from the Reserve Course, dying. You should be aware of those.“ Ah, of course. I almost forgot all about these cases, with the recent incidents. Still, that was also highly suspicious. I would bet my life on Fuyuhiko being the killer of the second girl. And the case with Saionji was all over the news and social media, it was impossible to miss. A lot of people were pleased with the death of the suspect, in that case.  
  
"I suppose you won’t stand in the way of my investigation of those cases any longer?“ I think I should review all of the cases I’m aware of before trying to solve the new case that has presented itself to me.They’re all connected. Starting with the Steering Committee, where everything went wrong.  
  
"It would be pointless, at this point. Besides, you’re no longer in danger for doing so. Feel free to investigate whatever you want, with the information you find here, though I doubt it will do you any good. It’s not as if the Steering Committee would try to have you locked away for it.“ No, they most likely won’t, considering none of them survived. The mastermind is incredibly intelligent, there is no doubt about that. Being able to not only manipulate the de facto leaders of Hope’s Peak Academy, but entire countries into doing exactly what they wanted... unless the recent happenings were mere coincidences and the mastermind claims credit for it all now. Possible, I suppose. Possible, but rather unlikely, from my perspective. I don’t believe in coincidences like that.  
  
"On to Enoshima Junko. What can you tell me about her involvement with Class 77-B? A class project, you said?“ He nods grimly, putting a cup of coffee down in front of me. I don’t touch it, he just sighs and drinks his own.  
  
"Since their teachers had severe problems getting through to them, I came up with the idea that another student might be better suited for that task. The Steering Committee approved of this idea and tasked me with finding a student that would be fitting for that task. My choice fell on her and they approved.“ Suspicious. Highly suspicious. If he planned even that, he would have been in the best position to manipulate everything there.  
  
"Why?“  
  
"Why? Just look at your class. Before she started participating, you were split apart in atomised groups and individuals. You didn’t function well as a class. Owada and Ishimaru couldn’t spend a day without a visit in my office, Togami and Fukawa spend most of their days absent, Maizono and Kuwata barely interacted with anyone besides each other, similar to Oogami and Asahina... you get the idea.“ That is... true, I suppose. Junko has been essential in bringing us together, as a unit.  
  
"How much success did she have with Class 77-B?“ This would be more interesting, I suppose. I’m as aware of her effect on our class as father, if not more so.  
  
"Positive. Overwhelmingly positive. She brought the entire class together after the mess with Kuzuryuu’s sister, she even got irredeemable problem students like Komaeda to integrate into the class unit, fixing their relationship with their teachers. Hell, they even tried to sue Hope’s Peak for their treatment of Souda, out of their own initiative after Junko was... well, you know what went on there.“ That... is also very strange. At the time when I investigated the case surrounding Kuzuryuu’s sister and the other girl, I almost suspected a few more people to vanish any day, such as Koizumi. Yet, they apparently came together as a unit?  
  
"I want all of the data on the project. Anything we have.“ I will need all of the data to make a time-line of the events, that might shed some light on the bigger picture. Still, this couldn’t be a coincidence. Assuming Class 77-B indeed joined the Ultimate Despair, as Monokuma suggested... that was a hint, without a doubt.  
  
"Why the sudden interest in all of these old cases?“ Father is the one to give me a cold and calculating look this time. It’s difficult to tell what goes on in his head. Is he that way because he believes that I suspect Junko? Or because he is the mastermind? Maybe an accomplice? I need more information on Chihiro. He was definitely an accomplice or the mastermind. Did he willingly participate or was he merely a victim? There are countless leads. I should investigate Junko as well. She also falls into the accomplice category, I’m almost convinced. Still, it can’t be as convenient as it seems. Two accomplices, one mastermind and three suspects? It wouldn’t be much of a game, if that were the case. Maybe a guessing game, but not a detective game.  
  
"Why not? In case you haven’t noticed it, sitting around in this school, luxurious as it might be, is rather boring. I won’t let my talent go to waste, like Kuwata.“ This isn’t a lie, I’m almost thankful for this ‘game’. I haven’t been bored since my new investigation started. And being able to apprehend the mastermind that played me for a fool before is a nice bonus on top of that. I get to redeem the Kirigiri name after my father tarnished it, whether it was through incompetence and neglect or wilful malice on his part.  
  
"Well, then I will help you, as much as I can. Talents need to be honed and understood. But, disregarding that... are you sure you don’t want-“ I stand up, leaving the full and cold cup of coffee on the table. Father slumps a little bit, but I won’t be bothered with this. He... turned out to be much worse than even grandfather made him out to be. *Sigh* I walk back to the data centre. I need to check it, every now and again.  
  
"Well, well, look who’s back! Will you let me finish my goddamn sentences before storming off this time, young lady?!“ Multiple screens depict Monokuma, menacingly raising one claw towards me, though it rather appears comical, considering his overall appearance. If I didn’t know for a fact that this was the ‘mascot’ of the Ultimate Despair, I couldn’t take a thing it does seriously.  
  
"Perhaps, if you have anything worthwhile to say.“ I let myself fall into my seat, though I feel a bit thirsty. Maybe I should get something to drink before coming here, next time. I think I will spend a lot of time here, whether I like it or don’t.  
  
"How rude! I only say worthwhile things! From insightful social commentary to existential questions and comedic intermissions, I’m pure entertainment and wisdom! Everyone loves Monokuma, you should see for how much my merchandise sells for on the daily!“ I shake my head, he really is a strange one.  
  
"You haven’t made a single sale since The Tragedy started. People just take what they want and no one considers money to be worth a damn anymore.“ It’s rather incredible, how fast something so essential can crumble. A financial crisis and suddenly the world was an even playing field, as far as wealth goes. And with the fall of money came the fall of the institutions and laws, until only the primal law of the strongest remained. How vain it all was, in retrospective.  
  
"That’s neither here nor there! I’m the best businessman! Besides, I’ve made tons of sales in Towa City, even now I make millions off that deal per day!“ And what is the point of that, with money being worthless in almost all parts of the world, disregarding a few curious exceptions like Towa City? I don’t particularly feel like arguing about this point.  
  
"Be that as it may, what else was there to talk about?“  
  
"Why, I considered giving you a gift, but with your recent behaviour, I’m honestly reconsidering whether I should! Do you deserve a gift, for being so disrespectful towards your own headmaster?!“ This again? I suppose I can just as well play along.  
  
"Well then, I’m sorry about that. Headmaster Monokuma, what were you going to give me?“ He perks up, looking happy, I suppose. What is he, a tamagotchi?! Not that I ever had such a thing, but some of my classmates before Hope’s Peak Academy wouldn’t shut up about it and I was even roped along into a ‘murder mystery’ with one of those as the ‘victim’... what a pain.  
  
"The heartbreaking tale about how Jin left the Kirigiri family, of course! Great for all audiences, especially any children of Kirigiri Jin!“ What...? How did he even get such a recording? That had to be... 10 years ago? How would the mastermind have been able to obtain such a recording, if it was one of my classmates? Even the oldest weren’t older than 10, at that time, disregarding Yasuhiro. Meaning... Hope’s Peak Academy itself. They had to spy on our family, even then.  
  
"You obtained that during the chaos that followed the death of the Steering Committee, I presume?“ I hope so. The alternative would be that they had too much information for a long time.  
  
"You’ll have to ask the mastermind about that, I only give you the information. Did you ask your mother where the animal fodder for the cows that became the steaks you ate came from?! Just appreciate the exquisite all-you-can-eat five star buffet of despair!“ Silly. Such a mockery of the Kirigiri name... and yet, the one that created this parody of a killer was the mastermind behind The Tragedy, someone that outsmarted not only us, but the entire world.  
  
"Then give it to me. All you have.“ I swallow my pride and ask for the information. Information is the only resource that counts, in this game. The mastermind already has all of the information... at least the vast majority of it. If I want any chance to apprehend the mastermind, I have to play by their rules.  
  
"Say ‘Aaaahn’~“ I grit my teeth, just... just bear it. No, this is not a pun. Why do I even have to think it could be interpreted as one?! That damned bear is messing with my head. I just... I need to calm down. This is just to defeat the mastermind. I wouldn’t hesitate to eat dirt, if it was for that.


	2. Dissonance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyouko learns a bit more about her own past, shattering her image of the Kirigiri family.

"Jin. You will return to the Kirigiri household. This is not up for debate. I hope you understand that.“ That voice... grandfather? This had to be shortly after my father married my mother, when he was ordered back into the Kirigiri family. What a shameful father I have, needing to be forced to return to his own family...  
  
"You’re not my father, as far as I’m concerned. You said as much yourself, the last time we met. You made it quite clear that you didn’t want to ever see me again.“ Hm? That’s... strange. According to grandfather, it was father who left the family and swore to never return... is this edited?  
  
"After you insulted our tradition and our whole family, yes. However, I am willing to overlook this. I was young and hot-headed, much like you.“ Ah, that makes more sense. I can’t really blame grandfather, considering the circumstances. It was father’s fault, just like everything else.  
  
"Do you want to know what this sounds like, to me? It sounds like you’re a desperate old man that crawls back to his only son because he realises he won’t be able to produce an heir. If you had anyone else, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now. And I didn’t even need to become a ‘proper detective’ to reach this conclusion. How does that sound?“ How, how dare he?! That’s...! Calm down... this is irrelevant. This has nothing to do with the investigation. The mastermind is simply trying to throw me off.  
  
"It sounds as if you need more of a beating than I ever...! No, forget it. You aren’t worth the breath. You will come back, and that’s that. Unless you want to hazard the consequences. I have enough on the Uzuki family to ruin them.“ What?! This, this is edited! It has to be! That is... blackmail. I understand his motives, I really do... detective work comes before anything else. That is, it should be true, but... would grandfather really do such a thing?  
  
"That’s a new low, even for you. And you call yourself a detective, old bastard! Maybe a detective in the sense that a villain who gathers dirt on others for his own ends could be considered a detective. Oh, but it’s not really for your own selfish ends or your failure to get another heir. It’s all for the ‘glory’ of the Kirigiri family, isn’t it?!“ I can only stare at the empty screen, the audio recording continuing uninterrupted. I’m grateful for that much, I’m not sure if I could handle Monokuma’s nonsense at the moment...  
  
"You force my hand.“ Did he? Did father? It’s... such a mess. I love grandfather, I really do... I’m glad for the way he raised me. But that is...  
  
"And you force your outdated traditions on my whole life! I’ve build my own life, without seeing an ounce of support from you, even when I would have needed it! I have made my own family, my own work and my own home... and now you have the gall to puff up and pretend you own my life, my family and our future?!“ This isn’t how it was supposed to be! Grandfather, he, he told me...!  
  
"It’s your choice. That’s all I have to say on this matter.“ I can hear the sound of the call ending, but I can still only stare at the screen...  
  
...  
  
"How was it, huh?! Wasn’t that exciting?! I personally think it was a bit cliché, I could have directed something muuuch better... but, you have to take reality how it comes.“ I glare at the bear on the screen, at least he had the decency to leave me enough time to collect my thoughts. This... shouldn’t change much. Grandfather only tried to do the right thing, while father, father... and yet, it wasn’t right. Detectives occasionally have to break the law if they wish to solve a case, certainly, but what grandfather did was nothing like that.  
  
"Food for thought, I suppose.“ I need to confront grandfather about this, if I ever get out of here. If he’s still alive, at that time... and I need to see to it that he gets what he deserves. It might only be a small monetary punishment, assuming I can prove his blackmail attempt, but this can not be tolerated. Besides, there is no greater wound for a detective than a stain on their reputation. Especially when it comes to blackmail, no one would trust a detective who was found guilty of blackmail. Well, that’s a lot of assumptions. There are no courts or laws left, after all...  
  
"Great! You know, before ending the world, I was friends with a four-star cook. We worked together on a secret recipe... but, he betrayed me! He said I’d get half of the yield, but when the time for my part came, he only gave me stupid paper bills! So, I asked him what a bear wants with those and where my serving was. Well, I just had him for dinner instead, so it was all good.“ What... what exactly is the purpose of these nonsensical stories?  
  
"That was... the story of how my father re-joined the Kirigiri family.“ I only realise this little fact now, but that means...  
  
"Oh, right, right! I knew I was forgetting something... well, at least I don’t have it as bad as good ol’ Charles Bronson, God rest his soul! A minute of silence... hell no, screw that! Are you ready for the heart-wrenching sequel?!“ I frown, this wasn’t even the end of it... grandfather, what have you done?  
  
...  
  
"Father! Father, you have to come back with Kyouko, this instant!“ I think this is the first time I hear the voice of my own father, full of panic. Not dejection, cold sadness or anger, but absolute panic. According to the theme, this has to be when I was 7 years old, the time when my mother was about to die... I put on a neutral expression, not wanting to give the mastermind the satisfaction of seeing how they get to me.  
  
"I thought I wasn’t your father anymore? Regardless, we’re in the middle of a case, Jin. We won’t come back before it’s solved.“ Yes, this is exactly what I thought it was. It’s certainly worrisome that someone was able to bug the phone of father because of his tardiness. What else did they get, through him? Unless this was deliberate and father planned all of this years in advance, The Tragedy and everything, possibly...  
  
"Why didn’t you tell me anything about that?! No, that’s not important! Drop the stupid case and come back, right now! Send Kyouko back with an attendant, if you have to, but she will not miss her last chance to say goodbye to her mother!“ It hurts... hearing all of this emotion in his voice. I always considered father a rather cold person, never showing what he was thinking or feeling, but now... it’s as if I never got to know my own father. Maybe I never did.  
  
"Detective work comes before anything else. The sooner Kyouko learns this, the better. Have her call if you must, but that’s all. We will not come back for three days, at least.“ That’s right. Detective work comes before anything else... doesn’t it? I trusted that, so why...  
  
"She can’t even speak anymore! You can’t just deny my wife her dying wish! You can’t seriously consider some stupid case more important than my family! Not only did you take my life away from me, my family, my daughter... now you even want to steal this not just from me, but from my wife and daughter?! You can’t! Don’t you dare! YOU HEAR ME?!“ I never perceived it like this. We were doing an investigation into a corrupt city council member in Kyoto and when I came back, mother was dead and father had left. Left like the coward he was, grandfather said...  
  
"Work comes first, Jin. It always does. What good would it be for Kyouko, to see a dying woman that can’t even speak anymore, a woman that only wastes away in her hospital bed? It’s better for her if she doesn’t need to see that.“ Isn’t... isn’t that my decision? I, I would have... I wanted... I can only vaguely remember a head, a pale face, floating above a hospital bed... NO! This, this can’t be real... this has to be edited!  
  
"Work comes... that’s it! You’re going to jail, old bastard! I’ll report you to child protective services and have them take Kyouko away from you, even if you’ll make sure she never sees me again, even if you ruin my wife’s family! I don’t care if you destroy my reputation or anything else, I don’t have anything left to lose either way! You made sure of that, you disgusting heartless jerk! It’s no wonder mother left you!“ What is this... why...?  
  
"That only goes to show what an egoistic brat you’ve turned out to be. You’d place your own petty revenge over the well-being of your own daughter. Say, Jin... who would she believe, if it came to that? Who would she choose?“ I grit my teeth, my eyes stinging as the call abruptly ends. He, he was right... grandfather was right, I would have... I did choose him, I...  
  
...  
  
"Well, well, well! Looks like even a cold-hearted and hardened detective like you can cry! It’s a shame that the mastermind can’t be here because of the game, they’d definitely comfort you. But, you know the drill! Work comes before anything else!“ The mastermind... father, is it you? After what I saw... would you have done it? I don’t want to believe it, I don’t want to...  
  
"The mastermind... doesn’t care for me.“ Childish as it is, I can’t help forcing it out. This mastermind... only wanted to see me suffer. This entire pretence of a game, all of it was just a set-up to hit me like this, to humiliate and destroy me, Kirigiri Kyouko... everything I stood for, my entire being as a detective, build on lies...  
  
"Don’t say that! The mastermind loves all of their classmates. Especially you, Kyouko. After all, the mastermind picked you out of everyone to play this game with, you alone!“ Was that... a slip-up? Or is it a trap? Clearly the latter. Mentioning classmates, but going out of his way to conceal the gender of the mastermind with ‘their’... there’s no way that wasn’t intentional.  
  
"You said... classmates. Why? What good is such an obvious lie? You are trying to distract me from the case. You are trying to make me disregard father as a suspect.“ That makes father all the more conspicuous. How far does this bluff go? It’s difficult to tell what the intentions of the mastermind behind this bear are. Do they want me to suspect my class? Or did they already consider that I would see through this and suspect father instead...?  
  
"Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap! The mastermind won’t be pleased with me about that, damn it! Okay, okay, I need to improvise... fine! Jin is not the mastermind! There, I said it! Jin is not the mastermind, alright?! I swear, bear’s honour! He’s just another chump!“ ... Is this supposed to assure me?  
  
"You are fooling around with me.“ It’s annoying, going up against an enemy that has all the advantages, while I have... almost nothing.  
  
"No! No, I’m being honest, okay? Jin was just a prawn in this game, nothing more. Wait, pawn, I mean pawn! Jin is not the mastermind, I confirm it. Good thing there was only one person that isn’t a student in here, right? Otherwise this might have gotten too boring!“ What good is the confirmation of this bear? What harm would it do him to lie, to trick me? There are no guarantees, I can’t trust a word it says. The only thing that supports its claim would be the pride of the mastermind. Would the mastermind be too proud to lie? I will need to be mindful, I don’t have enough evidence to make such assumptions.  
  
"Why would you tell me this?“  
  
"Well, even Ultimate Bears can make a blunder. Have you never messed up any investigation?! Oh, well, there was just that one about the biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history... but that was just a minor slip-up, was it?!“ Arguing won’t get me anywhere. I will file this information away for later. It might be important.  
  
"What... what about the next hint?“ I don’t know if I really want any more, after that first ‘hint’. I didn’t believe the mastermind had anything to really hurt me, but if they even found one such thing, I have to be on guard for more. They have more information than I do, even when it comes to my own life. And they wouldn’t use the thing that would hurt me most in the beginning, I don’t think so... they have more, I’m sure.  
  
"A glutton for punishment, huh?! Ah, that’s why they love you. Don’t worry, the mastermind painstakingly prepared this game, just for you! There are countless treats, all just for you. Still... it would be a bother if you got all of those awesome little gifts right away. We want to savour it. Too much of a good thing is never a good thing!“ I can’t say I agree. Perhaps with the general message, but I’m ready for anything. I won’t be caught off-guard like this again.  
  
"Why? Are you worried that I’m going to beat you too soon, otherwise? Make no mistake about it, I will beat you and your mastermind.“ I push back my hair, about to leave the room again.  
  
"That’s fine, Kyouko. However... aren’t you forgetting something, focusing on the mastermind so much?“ Forgetting...?  
  
"It’s my task to defeat the mastermind. That’s all there is to it.“ I can’t deny it, I hold a certain grudge against the mastermind. For the obvious reasons, for destroying the world and such... but also because they played me for a fool like that. Killing one of the Steering Committee, right in front of my eyes, and making the corpse vanish...  
  
"Neutrality! A detective always has to be neutral! Isn’t that some important family tradition or something that old fart taught you as well? Granted, he never wanted you to distrust him, so he was just a hypocrite... but I want you to be a proper detective! Why do you zoom in on the mastermind like this, if you’re supposed to be neutral?!“ Wasn’t I being neutral? No... no, I suppose I wasn’t. I was approaching this case like a silly comic book case, like I only needed to find the villain and the whole situation would be solved. Reality is rarely so simple...  
  
"You don’t exactly make it easy to approach this case neutrally.“ There isn’t much room for interpretation. The mastermind is evil, what more is there to it? Perhaps they could plead insanity, but that is of no concern to me. I only concern myself with the truth of the matter. Besides, the mastermind was clearly lucid enough to carry out their plan.  
  
"Oh, believe me, I know! I’m just so unbearably adorable and charismatic and perfect, anyone wants to take my side! It’s truly a curse to be so hopelessly bearfect! Anyway, at least try it.“ I grit my teeth as I walk away... getting lectured about detective work by a mockery of a plushy bear that might as well have come from the imagination of a mentally ill child is certainly not a pleasant experience. Still, I ought to remember that the mastermind is not to be underestimated. With all their childish behaviour, it’s all too easy to forget what they have done...  
  
...  
  
"You’re back already? I don’t have any new files ready for you...“ I almost hate myself for coming here... even more for what I’m about to do. Father seems rather insecure as I wordlessly approach him, closer, closer... I finally reach out with my gloved hands, clumsily. "Um... Kyouko? What are you...“  
  
"Shut up!“ I throw my arms around him and get it over with. That stupid bear, showing me something so pointless... I just bury my face in father’s shoulder, I don’t want him to see me tear up like this...  
  
"Um, okay...? S-sorry, it, it’s all right...“ He awkwardly strokes my back and head... damn the mastermind for making me do something so nonsensical! Damn grandfather for doing all that, damn it all!  
  
"... Don’t get used to it. I will only say this once, so you better listen well... I’m sorry. I’m sorry for only listening to grandfather without even asking about your perspective. I’m sorry for being such a failure of a detective, to not only let one villain trample all over my life and this world, but to have dedicated my life to another... and I’m sorry for not doing you justice, father.“ Dark stains appear on the white shirt I leaned against, I hope he won’t notice...  
  
"I... I always hoped you’d come around, you know? But... you don’t need to beat yourself up over it. You’re barely an adult yourself, but you still did the right thing, all on your own... you found the truth on your own, somehow. You, your mother would be so proud of you... I’m sorry for being such a failure of a father!“ It’s my turn to gasp as he nudges me back to look into my eyes... there are tears in his eyes as well. He... he waited, for nine long years...  
  
"Maybe... maybe we can talk, for a while. Over some coffee, if you want...“ I quickly wipe off my face... it’s so surreal. The lie I’ve been living collapsed around me, yet I feel good now. Better. It won’t be the same way once I face grandfather, as soon as the mastermind is dealt with... but, that’s something I will deal with as it comes. I have been shown the truth, I didn’t find it on my own. And yet, I can easily recognise it as the truth. And with it, I can neutrally approach this case. My own case, on top of my current investigation.  
  
"Well... it might be a bit too late for coffee, by now. We can have some valerian tea, that always helps me get a peaceful night of sleep, even in such hard times. Or we can raid Enoshima’s secret stash for some good alcohol... ouch, I was joking!“ I can’t help smiling as I elbow him. So he did know about that as well. I suppose it’s an open secret, that Junko has a lot of expensive alcohol, hidden away in a ‘secret compartment’ in her room. Everyone knows as much, but none of the teachers managed to find it. I did find it during my investigation on her, though I didn’t report it. It had nothing to do with the case, after all.  
  
"Don’t be so stingy. Give me some of yours, if you absolutely must drink. You still drink whisky, don’t you?“ It’s not as if age limits really mean anything, once the world has ended. I’m almost of age either way. Well, depending on the country, but who cares?  
  
"Fine, fine. But still, try to get to bed by 10 p.m., okay? Even if we’re caught in here, we should try to keep a healthy schedule.“ I suppose we have some catching up to do, even if I never thought the day would come. Father couldn’t be happier, by the looks of it. I still feel a bit insecure... but, I suppose I owe him this much, right? It’s only one hour until 10 p.m., after all. That’s the least I can do, after mistreating him for years...  
  
...  
  
"Good morning, everyone! It is now 7 a.m. and nighttime is officially over! Time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another beee-yutiful day!“ ... This was not the voice of my father. Monokuma... just how much control does he have? Possibly the entire security system. We should consider ourselves lucky that the security system really is just a security system. Even if the mastermind wanted to use it to kill us all, they’d have a hard time. It doesn’t entail any weapons, disregarding the turrets at the entrance hall. The only way they could use it to kill us would be interference with the water supply and air purifiers.  
  
I leave my room, unlike most others. Kiyotaka is heading to the dining hall already, Hina and Sakura go to the gym for some exercise before breakfast... it’s almost like any other morning. You wouldn’t believe that the world practically ended, just a couple of weeks ago.Still, it had a profound effect on some of us. Especially Byakuya has issues dealing with it, considering the downfall of his family and the collapse of the economy, losing everything he ever seemed to believe in.  
  
I head straight to the data lab, quickly checking all of the cameras. No one died to motivate me so far, that is good. Still, I have to give it my all. If we can’t apprehend the mastermind in time, they will undoubtedly start killing. I mostly ignore Monokuma’s prattling, he doesn’t have anything useful to say right now, it appears. A few jabs about my talk with father yesterday, but that’s all. I rather spend time going through the files concerning the Kamukura Project.  
  
"Hinata Hajime, huh?“ I wonder aloud. I never had contact with this student from the Reserve Course, he seems terribly generic for someone that was supposed to become the Ultimate Hope. All of the known talents, cramped into one body, one mind... it’s a surprise that he isn’t the mastermind, if Monokuma is to be believed. Unless he is only pretending to be one of the 17 people that currently live in this school... unlikely, but not impossible. He would have the talent of the Ultimate Impostor as well... Class 77-B. He could pose a problem, whether it’s the ‘real impostor’ or Kamukura.  
  
"The king of chumps! The biggest idiot of them all! Compared to him, even your average Reserve Course member was a genius. Seriously, signing up for that shady project, not even asking the government about it or a lawyer or anyone else... he could have died or become insane, just like all the previous failures.“ Monokuma seems to have more insight into this than the file, at least. How much does he know? How much does the mastermind know?  
  
"You’re saying that there were others before Hinata, then?“ That’s... I suppose it lines up with the leaks Junko and Chihiro distributed to the Reserve Course and the outside world. Chihiro surprisingly got away with a slap on the wrist... that’s rather suspicious as well. Junko’s fate was more in line with the methods of the Steering Committee. That makes it even more likely that Junko was simply used as a scapegoat for the mastermind, while Chihiro, at the very least an accomplice, barely even got a proper hearing. What I wouldn’t give for recordings of their hearings...  
  
"21 Reserve Course Students, 4 from the Main Course, over the years. No survivors, all of them died during the experimentation or were ‘disposed of’ afterwards. And here you are, telling me I’m evil! AHAHAHA!“ I wonder if they attempted the transfer or extraction of talent on Junko as well? This would contradict what Monokuma just said, about there being no survivors... then again, they couldn’t have afforded it with Junko. There were world-wide protests when she vanished for a few weeks, even the Steering Committee wouldn’t have dared to make someone so popular and connected to them vanish for good, right as the headlights were pointing at them. They still had Otonashi Ryouko, though that certainly didn’t do them any favours either, in the press coverage asking about Junko.  
  
"Was that your goal? Did you delude yourself into thinking you were... enacting justice by exposing these acts?“ That seemed to be what motivated Junko and Chihiro, at least. 25 students, dead for an experiment... I can’t believe Junko and Chihiro noticed that before me. Did the school mess up, did Chihiro somehow access the database of the project? I find it hard to believe.  
  
"Justice is a wooonderful thing! Can you imagine the despair someone on the stake had to feel, regardless of whether they were innocent or guilty?! That’s the kind of justice I admire! Instead, we have the ‘little kid feel good’ justice in most places now! No death penalty, no torture, no interrogation... only the state can do so behind closed doors! I want real justice to be revitalised, revived! It’s the dawn of justice! Because only real justice can cause real despair.“ That would mean the mastermind only saw ‘justice’ as means to an end.  
  
"Then you aren’t interested in justice, you’re only interested in punishment.“ Monokuma threateningly raises his claw again, glaring at me. Not that it was very intimidating...  
  
"Punishment is justice! And, unlike many, I care a lot for justice! Justice presupposes a crime, which the mastermind has committed already. It’s your task to deliver them to justice now. ‘But whoever has committed murder, must die. There is, in this case, no juridical substitute or surrogate, that can be given or taken for the satisfaction of justice.’ There’s one thing that old Cant was right about, after all! That’s why, the mastermind must die... or you must. You’re very guilty as well, aren’t you?“ Monokuma seems to pant against the screens, clearly showing how excited he would be about either outcome.  
  
"Then you consider us guilty? May I ask of what you accuse us?“ Guilty... the mastermind might act out of a sense of justice, after all. Perhaps they merely hide behind the villainous mask of Monokuma to throw me off. However, I will find the mastermind, come what may!  
  
"Who isn’t a li’l bit guilty? Who hasn’t dirtied their hands and minds already? Hope’s Peak Academy is a place for scum and villainy, after all. That’s why a straight-up guy like me came here, to set things right! As for your sins, Kirigiri... they weigh heavy indeed. Knowledge and inaction, to name the most prominent. Then again, who isn’t guilty of those two? Puhuhuhu!“ Knowledge and inaction... there isn’t much I could deny about this. It’s not the role of a detective to take action, after all.  
  
"Guilty as charged, I suppose. Still, who are you to judge?“ It seems more like a cheap excuse than a justification. I suppose that there are enough people who would consider me guilty. My inaction in these cases might well have caused more casualties than necessary. Had I contacted the police about the actions of the Steering Committee and focused my attention on them instead of the mastermind, perhaps a few could have been saved. Perhaps the Reserve Course wouldn’t have taken such drastic measures...  
  
"Ah, that’s it, that’s it! That expression of terror is simply delightful! As for who I am to judge... let him who is without sin cast the first stone! And bears can’t sin, so you’d better be ready!“ A nonsensical reply. I haven’t found a pattern behind his supposedly serious and nonsensical responses as of yet. There’s still a lot to figure out before I reasonably have a shot at finding the real mastermind. But, with enough time, all of these hints should combine to form a comprehensive picture.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did not read any novels, except for DR:0. As such, events mentioned here might contradict the Kirigiri novel, for instance. Just thought I'd throw it out there, in case anyone read other novels and what was written here contradicts them in some way.


	3. Suicide and Valentines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I apologise in advance for the possibly jarring experience. This chapter contains attempted suicide as Junko finally makes her appearance and the beginning of a very weird yet wholesome relationship. Maybe?

"Get out of the way, you’re blocking the camera feed.“ He laughs, provocatively wiggling his behind all over the screens... that stupid bear! I shoo him away with my hand, yet it only seems to amuse him even more.  
  
"Geez, even that little detail didn’t get past you, did it? Fine, fine... enjoy your despair!“ He finally jumps out of the way, I quickly check the screen. Everyone seems to be in the dining hall for breakfast by now. Suddenly, I catch a glimpse of someone in the corridor. That’s Junko, isn’t it? It’s not often that she’s absent for breakfast, though she isn’t usually on time either. Still, she isn’t walking towards the dining hall, she’s walking away from it. Looks like she got something from the storage room, what is that?  
  
A rope? About 10 meters long and quite thick. What for could she... I run out of the data lab! She wouldn’t... would she? She seemed stable when I last talked to her, a few days ago. A few days... was she present during breakfast since then? I think so. Still, I should have noticed something weird was going on. She is a key witness in this case, I can’t believe I was almost sloppy enough to let her die, right in front of my eyes! Still, I need to hurry. Perhaps it isn’t what it looks like, I couldn’t see her face, but I can’t take such risks.  
  
I run through the corridors, sending a message to father. Down the stairs, cursing the unnecessarily complex structure of Hope’s Peak Academy. Whoever the monkeys that designed this school were, they apparently couldn’t think to place flights of stairs next to each other. Instead, I have to waste almost 5 minutes, running through the corridors! 5 minutes... assuming Junko would only need 3 minutes to set everything up without hesitating, I could already be too late. If she didn’t break her neck with the initial fall, at any rate.  
  
"Kyouko, I tried to talk to her, but the door was loc-“ I shove father aside, quickly running past him and the dining hall, towards the dormitories. Her room should be the fourth to the left... I get out the master key and open the door, rushing in and shutting it in one motion. She really did it...! She isn’t moving... I need to hurry! I pull a knife out of my boots, quickly jumping up to catch the rope and cut it. I support her as well as I can with my legs, slowly letting go of the rope. As soon as I have her on the ground, I cut the rope around her neck as well...  
  
"HEY! Junko, answer me!“ No response, even as I shake her. Her knot was incredibly effective. Too good for a beginner, I believe. I check her breathing... damn it! Father should be here any second. I get to work right away, putting one hand over the other on her sternum and pushing her chest in, 30 times in quick succession. Next I cover her nose and leaning her head back, pressing my lips against hers and breathing air into her, repeating it one more time. And push again, around 5 centimetres deep, with the heels of my hands. Push, push, push... the door finally bursts open, father almost seems to lose his composure.  
  
"Get a defibrillator, right away!“ I don’t even pay attention to him, quickly repeating the exercise. Around 100 beats per minute, breathing into her twice every 30 pushes... I won’t let her die on me! If she gets brain damage from this, Monokuma will have a lot to answer for. Luckily it only takes father around a minute to return with the device, quickly preparing it. I simply cut open her cardigan and bra, quickly getting it off. Now to attach the pads... "If you’re just going... to stare at her awkwardly... get out and... make yourself useful... by keeping the others away. No mentions of this.“  
  
"Um, sorry! I’ll do it...“ As I continue performing CPR, my father applies the pats to her bare chest with incredibly awkward movements, only stopping for the device to analyse her. So far everything is going well, but there’s no telling whether she will make it, much less with an intact mind. I should have questioned her sooner... I should have never let it come to this. If the others learn of this, there will be panic. Possibly another revolt, this time against my father...  
  
"Go and calm down the others. I rather wouldn’t have a crowd in here.“ Since everything is set up properly now, I can take care of it myself. I feel slightly tired after two minutes of CPR and the sprint through the school building, but I can manage more. Besides, I’d rather do it myself. If father’s recent obsession with looking anywhere but at Junko’s bare chest is anything to go by, he wouldn’t do a very good job here. Decency has its place, but not when lives are on the line. I move away to press the button and administer the shock when the device tells me so, her body jerking slightly.  
  
"I... I’ll leave her to you, then.“ He awkwardly leaves the room, I simply continue with the motions. No change in heart rate... it would have been nice to have an actual doctor in here with us. Then again, that would have added a few issues as well, such as trusting an outsider with our lives. Still, it’s incredible just how smooth Junko’s skin is. Even with my gloves, I barely feel any unevenness that they would catch on. I suppose I can’t blame father. Junko is... certainly a sight to behold.  
  
Her lips are also incredibly soft and glossy, she took very good care of herself, for someone about to attempt suicide. Is that to be expected of the Ultimate Fashionista? A female Adonis? Perhaps not the best comparison, considering his fate... well, I’m no Aphrodite, nor her lover. I should probably stop having such idle thoughts and focus on the task at hand instead, mindless as it is. I simply continue in the same rhythm, until the device tells me to apply another shock.  
  
Her body jerks a little bit again... then a soft gasp! I almost want to redouble my efforts, but that would hardly be beneficial. At least her heart seems to be pumping again. I still continue, lamenting the lack of epinephrine. Maybe we should have transferred her to the nurse’s office downstairs... I suppose this will have to do. Carrying her downstairs would have taken too long. I take a moment to check her pulse... good. She’s alive, at least. I let out a sigh of relief, now I can only hope that she’s mentally sound as well. Well, as sound as one can be, after attempting suicide...  
  
"I... I think you can... stop now, Kyouko.“ She puts her hands on top of my gloved ones... I stand up, rather out of breath. After wiping off the sweat, I look down at her. She takes off the pads of the defibrillator and pulls her uniform together, to the best of her abilities, looking only at the ground. I’m just that glad she didn’t manage to break her neck or experience mental problems, from the looks of it. I definitely need to interrogate her... I suppose I’ll stay close and supervise her. At least for a few weeks. Suboptimal, but still acceptable.  
  
"You’re living with me now. Get your things, you’re moving.“ She looks completely stunned, maybe this was a bit too fast. She’s still recovering, after all. "In my room. Or yours, if you prefer. I will keep my eyes on you, all day long. You’re a key witness and I won’t lose you over something stupid like that. I won’t let you die, one way or another.“  
  
"I got what you said the first time, my hearing isn’t the issue! You stepping in like that and talking as if my life is your property is!“ Some outrage, that was to be expected. She always was very headstrong, not even listening to father or the Steering Committee. One of her strong points, at least whenever it doesn’t cross the border to recklessness. She makes for a good leader, as demonstrated by the Reserve Course, but a rather poor follower.  
  
"That’s not up for negotiation, I’m afraid. Until I’m sure that you won’t try something stupid like that again, I will not let you out of my sight.“ Is she infected with despair? That could be an issue, especially considering her influence in our class. If she started another revolt, there isn’t anything we could do. Most of the class would side with her, considering she brought the class together in the first place. Father and I couldn’t contest her influence.  
  
"So, privacy isn’t up for negotiation? I wonder how the others would feel, about cameras in their rooms...“ Cameras... she noticed that? This is troublesome.  
  
"I only saw you with the rope in the hallway and put two and two together. There are no cameras in the private rooms of students.“ A flawless lie, at least if Junko’s pout is anything to go by.  
  
"I guess I can’t outwit the Ultimate Detective, after all... *Sigh* Why did you bother coming, though? This would have made things a lot easier for you, wouldn’t it?“ She nods at the cut rope, hanging from the ceiling. Easier? I suppose having one less suspect would make things easier, to a certain degree. Still, that’s not the Kirigiri method. No... it isn’t my method. I don’t care much for grandfather’s methods anymore, not after what he did.  
  
"The work of a detective depends on information. With insufficient information, you’ll never reach the truth. I’d rather have one piece too many than one missing.“ I smile at her, if only slightly. I should encourage her, that will make things easier. For both of us.  
  
"Well, I’m not sure if too much information is necessarily such a good thing...“ Too much information? There is no such thing as ‘too much information’. There’s only those who can endure the truth and those who can’t. Regardless of how one deals with it, the truth remains unchanged. And regardless of what your goal is, the more information you have available, the higher your chances of success are. No matter what, this is always true.  
  
"The more information, the better. That’s why... I want to hear your story. All of the things that happened at Hope’s Peak Academy, everything you did and everything that was done to you. Please, I need you... I won’t take no for an answer.“ I grab her by the collar, preventing her from looking away. I’m somewhat sorry for the state of her cardigan, but that was inevitable, I’m afraid. There wasn’t a second to waste.  
  
"HUWABABABAGH! HYAAAAAAH!“ Wh-, what?! I look to the door, only finding Taka, looking at us as if he had just seen a ghost, blankly staring ahead of himself. Heavy footsteps echo through the hallways, that was... Hifumi? Did he see the rope?! I quickly get up and chase after him! If he tells the others, that will be trouble! I sprint, pushing Taka aside! Geez, considering how bad he usually does at P.E., it should be easy catching up... so how is he already at the dining hall?!  
  
"Stop it right there, Hifumi! You don’t understand the situation at all!“ I run as fast as I can, but he’s already inside... I glare at him severely as soon as I reach the dining hall. He shrinks back, hiding behind Celeste, the latter wearing the sickliest sweet smile...  
  
"Oh my. I certainly didn’t believe Miss Kirigiri to be so... bold. Is that the word I’m looking for?“ Bold...?  
  
"What... did he tell you?“ I take in the atmosphere only now, there isn’t grave silence as I expected... there’s a lot of excited chatter. This is hardly the reaction I would have expected towards an attempted suicide. Makoto uncomfortably looks away, just like Leon. Toko seems to be strangely interested, for once. What is going on here...?  
  
"Why, he told us that you were currently in the process of ravishing Junko! Rope play on the first date?! You, you’re one kinky pervert!“ Toko points at me in an accusing manner, though she looks the most excited out of everyone... how did they reach that conclusion? They become quiet the second I speak up.  
  
"That is a misunderstanding. The rope was there for...“ I lift up my hand as I try to explain it and halt, realising that I can’t very well tell them the truth. I struggle to think of an answer, the silence becoming more deafening with every passing moment...  
  
"I saw it! She ripped open Enoshima’s shirt and told her she ‘wouldn’t take no for an answer’!“ That’s...! Grrr... I angrily stare at Hifumi, he should just wait for the next distribution of tasks... I’ll make sure he cleans all the hallways and toilets of all the floors, on his own! No, there’s one person that can keep him company... I glare at father, he’s quickly looking away. How could he let those idiots slip away, of all people?!  
  
„My, oh my. Indeed, your reaction doesn’t help you. You wouldn’t take no for an answer, Miss Detective?“ Celeste’s smile feels almost intimidating, she knows that I slipped up and probably wants to corner me now, just for her entertainment. How did the situation turn out like this?!  
  
"It’s not like I’d have said no either way~“ I can feel a shudder going down my spine, Junko... she followed me? I hesitate to even turn around, almost everyone gasps. I think the blood just drained from Makoto’s face, just like father’s. Mondo turns red, even Celeste can’t keep her poker face. Pale hands move over my shoulders in a loose hug, her head just behind me, breathing hotly into my ear... what am I supposed to do?! I can’t explain this situation and it’s too late for excuses...  
  
"Taka? Hey, man! Why you standing at the door like that? Come over here!“ Mondo calls for Taka, the latter utterly unresponsive as he stumbles through the open door. *Sigh* There’s nothing to be done, so I slowly approach the breakfast table, trying to pretend nothing happened, even as I drag Junko behind me. She’s light as a feather...  
  
"Hey now, it’s not nice of you to ignore me, Kyouko-chan~ I remember just before, when you told me sweet nothings... you wouldn’t let me out of your sight and ordered me to move in with you. Though I’m not sure if our relationship can work out, if you act so cold in public...“ My own face starts to burn, the damning looks of the others and Junko right behind me... Makoto seems to choke on whatever he was eating, Mukuro glancing over at us in a weird way. That’s unusual, for her.  
  
"Could you stop that?“ I finally turn around, her smile is dazzling, her eyes shining. This cheerful girl almost committed suicide, just five minutes ago? I’m starting to doubt my own perception. But, the AED, all of that couldn’t just have been a delusion. No, that’s a silly thought to entertain. It really happened and there’s no denying it. Still, she’s remarkably fit, for someone who was as good as dead. Almost worryingly so.  
  
"Well, let me repay you for earlier, at least.“ There’s a dangerous glint in Junko’s eyes as she pushes me into a chair, coming closer... and suddenly, my mind comes to a halt. A few gasps and squeals, then utter silence. Warm lips on my own, soft and smooth, gently kissing me... I stare into Junko’s eyes, bright and clear as the sky I haven’t seen for weeks, maybe months. The tables have turned completely and she knows it. She’s enjoying it, there’s no doubt about it. There should have been no way for her to gain the upper hand, absolutely none. I was supposed to be in charge of the situation, of her. She was to go with my story, not the other way around! And yet, here we are...  
  
"Will you get another uniform and play nice, if we’re seriously going with this?“ I hiss at her, just low enough that the others can’t hear it, her breasts threatening to spill out of the ripped cardigan... "Hm, maaaybe. If you prove your undying love for me~“ She provocatively purses her lips, I can’t believe she’s roping me into one of her silly games... she completely broke my train of thought, I can’t even properly think when she’s so close...  
  
"Go and get dressed...“ I give her a peck on the cheek, she squeals with delight. No one speaks, not even as she walks out of the door. Even Byakuya seems to be left speechless by Junko’s gall, not even making one snide comment. Who wouldn’t be speechless, when faced with such behaviour? If I hadn’t checked her pulse and performed CPR on her myself, I wouldn’t believe for a second that she hadn’t planned this mischief to begin with. But, that’s impossible... her heart actually stopped. Even Junko wouldn’t go that far for a prank, there was no guarantee anyone would save her.  
  
"So, you and the airhead, huh? Gee, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say one of you has to, to compensate or something!“ Toko seems rather excited, presumably looking for ‘material’ for her newest novel or whatever she pursues when she makes such perverted comments. "Achoo! Huh? Wha-wha-what? Did I miss anything? Huh, huh?!“  
  
"If you think Junko is an airhead, you’re more naive than even I thought possible.“ I nod in agreement at Byakuya’s words, she is rather capable. Gathering the entirety of the Reserve Course under her banner, evading detection in a school where security is comparable to military bases for so long... much of it can certainly be attributed to Chihiro’s excellent abilities, but I get the feeling that Junko shouldn’t be underestimated. Genocide Jack looks slightly confused at her ‘master’, who recently informed us that we are locked in with a serial murderer. I had my suspicions for a while and it was confirmed during my investigation, but she hasn’t done anything since attending this school.  
  
"I suppose denying it at this point is rather nonsensical. Junko and I are... in a relationship.“ Another squeal from the doorway, how did she get dressed so fast?! *Sigh* She practically dances over to my chair, grinning broadly. Makoto looks pale as a sheet, for some reason. Father uncomfortably shifts around in his seat, fiddling with his tie.  
  
"Mister Kirigiri, I hope you can give me your blessings~“ At least I’m not the only one that has to suffer. Hina dreamily stares at us, Hifumi stuffs his face, the atmosphere is slowly returning to normal, in spite of how insane this situation is. The world may have ended out there, but this is still more insane to me than that. Me, in a pretend relationship with Junko... I can’t say I ever thought this would be a situation I would find myself in.  
  
"Ah, um... if, if Kyouko is fine with it, who am I to disagree? She... she is an adult woman, after all. Ahaha...“ Father seems strangely awkward around Junko. I suppose he understands the situation better than the others. He certainly has no issues with homosexuality, considering his reaction to Mondo and Taka, which was as positive as his position as headmaster allowed. Though it might be different when his own daughter is involved. Not that it actually was anything like that. It’s only for the investigation, we can just forget all about this, once I discover the mastermind... at least it spares me any explanations regarding Junko’s situation, I suppose.  
  
"Achoo! Wait, wait... did I miss the part about rope?! You, you better tell me what you used that for!“ Father spits out his tea, he is not helping! And Junko chooses this precise moment to act shy, looking away from me with a red face. It’s certainly cute, but I can’t help feeling that this is all part of an act, a play with me in the role of a jester or some such...  
  
"Hey, Mondo...? You mind helping me out with the moving? I’m moving to Kyouko’s room~“ I do my best to ignore the piercing looks and the entire situation, maybe that’s the best solution for this mess. Maybe it will all go away, if I just don’t address it? It’s probably too late for that...  
  
"Huh? Oh, um... ‘kay? Didn’t think you were serious ‘bout that, but... yeah, sure. Taka, you also helping?“ Taka still seems rather aghast, but he finally seems to catch up. I cover my ears almost instinctively as soon as he jumps out of his chair next to Mondo.  
  
"SUCH BEHAVIOUR IS NOT ACCEPTABLE IN A SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT! ACCORDING TO PARAGRAPH 3 OF THE CODE OF CONDUCT...!“ Taka blinks a few times, Mondo pulling him back down to his seat with a tired sigh. If anyone here had a right to sigh and complain, it would be me. Not only did I end up in this stupid situation, no, now everyone seems to think I’m a pervert and BDSM enthusiast or something... those are the kinds of people I occasionally investigate, no the kind I would join!  
  
"Well, if you wanna get specific, Paragraph 3 only refers to activities between male and female students. You’d have to look for subsection 5 of paragraph 17 for that and see if it applies. Either way, it was your own fault for just barging into my room! You could have knocked, you know? Regardless, it’s got nothing to do with that rule.“ The gears seem to turn in Taka’s head, painfully slowly. Then they grind to a complete halt again. He hasn’t even touched his breakfast. I think Junko committed all of the school regulations to memory after Taka annoyed her with them initially, just to get such reactions out of him... it’s kind of charming, in an odd way. She can be rather childish.  
  
"What were you two doing in Junko’s room either way? Weren’t you supposed to meet with the others for breakfast?“ I try to steer the conversation back towards something I feel comfortable about, namely detective work. With the exception of myself, everyone is supposed to be on time for breakfast, give or take 30 minutes. Well, I’m not really an exception to that rule, but it’s my task to check the data lab as soon as I wake up now, so I don’t have to be on time.  
  
"Ahem! We were looking for Junko and Mukuro, considering they were late for breakfast. Though we went to the toilets first... um, not for any nefarious reasons, obviously!“ Precisely after the moment when I discovered Junko on the monitors, presumably. That explains why they weren’t at breakfast, I suppose.  
  
"Mukuro was missing as well?“  
  
"I was maintaining my weapons until Hifumi and Taka called me. I’m afraid I forgot the time, after the alarm.“ Mukuro replies mechanically, as she usually does. I will have to check the footage of this time, maybe she slipped away to do something. Could she be related to Junko’s attempted suicide? I suppose that isn’t unthinkable. Maybe the mastermind decided that she became a liability, for whatever reason. Could Mukuro be involved? That would be a problem... even someone like Sakura would have trouble restraining or killing her, if it really came to that.  
  
"Hey, don’t ignore meee~“ Junko leans against me, her soft hair pushing my own aside and brushing against my neck... Celeste makes a displeased sound before standing up and excusing herself. I had considered her a possible suspect at first, but after monitoring her for a while, I concluded that she’s harmless. Well, harmless in the sense that she will only rob you blind if you don’t pay attention. Still, she’s too materialistic to desire an outcome like this.  
  
"What do you want?“ I regard Junko coldly, but not too severely. I can’t assess her mental state. Manic depressive, perhaps? Apparently leaning more towards manic, since her attempted suicide. "Feed me!“ I stare at her in disbelief, father, Mukuro and Makoto do the same. Sayaka and Hina giggle together...  
  
"You are joking, right?“ She pouts in her cute way... is she actually expecting me to play along with this idiotic act?! I can’t very well back out now and she knows it... not without risking panic and discord. I can’t afford that, not in this situation. I pick up some sushi with my chopsticks, hesitantly bringing it closer to her dark red lips. She almost looks like a European doll, all that is missing is a dress instead of her uniform, maybe one like Celeste’s. Some more squeals, I think Mondo even whistled jokingly... *Sigh* The things I do for work.  
  
"Aaaahn~“ I drop it off in her mouth, quickly pulling back my chopsticks. She tried to bite down on them! No matter how long it will take me to catch the mastermind, it will be too long, at the rate things are going. And getting romantically involved with someone while on duty is never a good idea. In fact, it’s never a good idea at all, for a detective. Just like father, betraying the Kirigiri family over... but, he didn’t, did he? I...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone wonders, Junko will be rather playful and nice towards Kyouko, from here on out. It will play out like a fairytale romance! With a delightful twist, towards the end, as anyone knowing this series would expect. Guess I'll give a proper warning again when the time comes. Until then, enjoy the sweet times and investigations. Maybe I should try to leave a "good ending" for people that don't want to see the real end?


	4. Detective?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyouko faces her social and emotional ineptitude, trying to deal with a depressed Junko.

"We should get going. I need to go back to the data lab and you’re coming with me.“ I can’t stay away too long. It’s essential that someone observes the academy frequently. The Ultimate Despair could try to break in any moment and I’d have to instruct everyone if that happens. I need to make sure that the water supply and air filters don’t fail. I still don’t really like it, sitting in the data lab all day... but it’s the best place to observe everything. If there are any interesting talks or suspicious actions, I can see and hear it. I’ll still take some looks around the academy myself, I wouldn’t be much of a detective otherwise.  
  
"You expect me to sit around in the data lab the whole day? Geez, you sure are demanding...“ She should have thought of that before doing what she did. If it wasn’t for her, we wouldn’t be in this whole mess to begin with.  
  
"Well, we can visit you sometimes, right? Sakura and I will spend a few hours in the dojo one floor above, we’ll come by whenever we take a break!“ Hina seems enthusiastic, but most of the others probably won’t come to the 4th floor. With the exception of Hina, Sakura and my father, no one usually comes to the 4th or 5th floor. The rec room on the 3rd floor is usually the furthest anyone goes. Besides, I can’t just let her walk into the data lab either.  
  
"Well, we... we can come by, right? I think I’ll spend some time in the rec room with Celeste, so it won’t be much further from there.“ Makoto offers, even if he also seems somewhat uncomfortable. I’m not sure what his problem with Junko is, but it seems as if he suddenly stopped getting along with her. I don’t really get it myself, they were on pretty friendly terms, until now. Makoto is acting as awkwardly around her as he did when he first came to Hope’s Peak.  
  
"I suppose I could spare a few minutes, for you two.“ Celeste frowns as she sips on her tea, something is weird now. I’m not sure as to what caused it, but these two seem somewhat distant now. It’s not so strange for Celeste, but Makoto is usually always smiling at everyone. Well, that can wait. It doesn’t seem like it’s related to the case, so it isn’t important. I drag Junko along, not too keen on interacting with the others any more than necessary.  
  
"Now then, would you mind telling me what that was all about?“ I glare at her over my shoulder as soon as we leave the dining hall and close the door. Her cheery atmosphere all but evaporates, leaving a vacant expression on her face that just doesn’t fit my image of her. She stares back at me, though it doesn’t really feel as if she was looking at me, rather through me. After a while, she finally speaks up again with a flat tone.  
  
"It would be better for everyone, wouldn’t it? You all know what I did. I’m responsible for what happened to the Reserve Course, I’m responsible for the whole damned incident. It’s what I deserved, isn’t it?“ I see, that seems more like the mental state I’d expect her to be in. Father said he was worried about her as well, looks like he was right. This is the reaction I would have expected from our idealistic revolutionary, if that’s what she is.  
  
"You didn’t kill those people. In fact, someone else meddled with your little student revolt, isn’t that right? Tell me everything about that incident, if you feel a need to atone. Killing yourself isn’t what they would have wanted, is it?“ Junko’s popularity in the Reserve Course was unmatched, she often did free exhibits of her fashion at the Reserve Course, even as the tensions grew. Most other Ultimates couldn’t even have gotten to the gate without Reserve Course students throwing rocks or trash at them, but Junko alone was welcomed with open arms.  
  
"I suppose they wouldn’t have wanted that, even if I deserve it. Fine, I will tell you what I... remember.“ I hope she remembers something useful.  
  
"You are referring to your time as ‘Otonashi Ryouko’, aren’t you? You said your memory of that time was rather foggy, in the report.“ That’s to be expected, I’m afraid. While the Madarai brothers were sure she had something to do with the incident, it rather seemed like she got dragged into it by them. I guess we got lucky that Mukuro came by and dispatched them. Lucky? No, now that I think about it... her timing was a bit too perfect, wasn’t it?  
  
"Yeah. I don’t really remember much about that time. Anyway, it probably started when I came into contact with the Kamukura Project. That’s what you are curious about, I assume?“ There it is again. Kamukura Project...  
  
"I was curious about how you initially came into contact with it, yes.“ We walk through the corridors of the second floor, alone in the dim light. Junko sighs, I still hold her hand. "You don’t need to worry about anything. I couldn’t care less if you broke into the archives, seduced a teacher or did anything more severe. I may be a detective, but I’m not a lawyer. I care more about the truth than the law. Not that the law has much meaning, at this point.“  
  
"Is that how you see me?! Seducing teachers? Well, I guess it shouldn’t surprise me, that’s what everyone says about me.“ She sounds slightly hurt, that isn’t what I meant to imply...  
  
"To be honest, I don’t really know what to make of you, Junko. I’m not good with... situations like this, sorry. I only meant it as a stupid example to say that I don’t really care what you did, I won’t hold it against you.“ Social situations... no amount of training prepared me for that, ironically. I’m good at reading people and getting information out of them, but comforting them or just befriending them... it’s not so easy, at least for me.  
  
"I get that a lot, you don’t need to apologise. Like there wasn’t a new rumour about who I slept with every week, regardless of the facts... well, whatever. Kamukura Project... someone left a report in my room. A file by Hope’s Peak Academy, containing some information about the project and... the sacrifices for it.“ Someone left her an official file? That someone most likely worked for the mastermind, assuming her story is true.  
  
"Any idea about who it was?“ We reach the 3rd floor, an annoying roundabout way to the 4th floor. There should have been a connection next to Class 3-B, but no, that would have been too convenient. Instead you have to walk through the entire 3rd floor to reach the stairs, they couldn’t be bothered to make another door to the rec room. As if the long way through the 2nd floor wasn’t inconvenient enough already for the person who designed this building, they just had to make the 3rd floor even worse...  
  
"No, sorry. It was just a file, no handwriting or any indication as to who it was. I thought it was some official letter at first, but it contained information about said project. Though I don’t really remember what was written there...“ The mastermind wouldn’t be so sloppy, I suppose. Even if I had the file and could check it for fingerprints, it probably wouldn’t yield anything. That’s the least one should expect from any mastermind worthy of that title. This one wouldn’t slip up like that.  
  
"And then you decided to start your revolt against the school?“ An uncomfortable topic, by the looks of it.  
  
"Sort of. I started protesting before, but I never meant for it to turn into the ‘Parade’, as the Steering Committee dubbed it. I didn’t mean for things to get so violent, but... I couldn’t just let Hope’s Peak Academy continue doing that, you know? Probably should have known that the Reserve Course wouldn’t stay quiet, when the school treats them about as expandable as cattle.“ I suppose so. In that regard, what Junko did could probably be considered ‘moral’.  
  
"Why didn’t you look for help?“ She frowns, apparently something about that question bothers her.  
  
"I did. I got Chihiro to help me, as you should know. And the Reserve Course, obviously. Other than them... who should I have asked? The school? The government? I couldn’t have trusted them. Hope’s Peak Academy is like a tumour that grew out of the government, they’re deeply intertwined.“ She isn’t exactly wrong... there aren’t many people you could turn to, when going after Hope’s Peak. At least not without significant risk. And her memory wipe only helped to cement her belief that Hope’s Peak is not to be trusted, even if it was only temporary. Doesn’t look like she accepted the official explanation that it was caused by some sort of brain trauma either. Who would believe that, in her situation? I don’t think anyone truly believed that story.  
  
"You... you could have asked me.“ I’m almost surprised by my belated offer, it’s useless at this point. The past is over and done with.  
  
"No offence, but you didn’t really seem that trustworthy, considering you’re the daughter of the headmaster. I was also pretty sure that you were investigating me, one more reason to be sceptical and not confide in you.“ Did she? I must have been quite negligent, for her to notice that.  
  
"How did you know?“ Now she smirks, the first somewhat positive reaction since she left the dining hall with me.  
  
"Your hair. I found one in my room, in spite of you never officially coming there. There aren’t many people with hair like yours, not in terms of colour or length. So, I had to conclude you came in uninvited and were investigating me. Unless you had some other reason to break into my room, hm~? Maybe I should have confided in you, after all...“ She provocatively lifts her eyebrows, I can only look away in shame... I’d much rather be seen as a spy than a pervert, thank you very much.  
  
"I was only there on... professional grounds.“ She shows me one of her perfected pouts, a dangerous weapon that would surely make less trained individuals drop to their knees and ask her how to make it up to her. These social interactions are her battlefield and I have trouble handling them, unlike a factual debate. The one flaw I never got over, I’m afraid. Luckily that also made me somewhat resistant to her, though I will probably never land a blow against her, in this context.  
  
"Hey, I’m just messing with you! Anyway, that’s pretty much it. I got Chihiro involved to distribute the information all throughout the school and beyond. There isn’t much more to it, since the whole ‘Ryouko’ affair took place afterwards. And by the time I came to, the Parade had already turned into a violent mob, out for the blood of the administration and all ‘proper’ students.“ This isn’t very helpful, I knew most of that already. She might be holding some things back, yes, but pointing that out would only hurt whatever trust in me she might have. I would need new evidence before I could confront her about that, at least.  
  
"How about Class 77-B?“ Her face pales slightly, that’s a noteworthy reaction. Maybe this will be more worthwhile.  
  
"I... your father asked me to work with them. They always were outcasts, in a way. They seemed a bit like the Reserve Course, so I thought bringing them together might help with... a united front, against the school administration.“ Hm. There we have something interesting, don’t we? She never kept her dissatisfaction with the administration and methods of Hope’s Peak Academy a secret, but I didn’t hear about her involvement with Class 77-B so far.  
  
"What about your own motivations? Why did you feel the need to play the good Samaritan? You never seemed like you cared so much.“ While Junko certainly loved meddling with everyone’s affairs, she usually seemed to do it for fun, rather than anything else.  
  
"Guess I... I just felt sympathy for them. I grew up homeless, so I knew what it’s like to be an outcast, to not belong. People still screw up their face when I mention that, so I guess I just felt like I... belonged with them, in a weird way. So I tried to help them past that. Same as with the Reserve Course, I guess.“ This story sounds too good to be true. There are too many ‘coincidences’, for my liking. Yet, she also makes for a perfect scapegoat. The idealists always are left holding the baby, if they make it to the end. I don’t think she would say anything to incriminate her ‘fosterlings’. She’d rather take the fall herself...  
  
"What about after the ‘Ryouko affair’, as you called it? Did you have contact with them afterwards?“ Another negative reaction, she looks away. If she doesn’t tell me anything else, I’ll know that she’s hiding something. Even that is a valuable hint.  
  
"I met them... during The Tragedy. When we were searching for Mondo and Leon, do you remember that?“ Oh, that was... Mondo and Leon charged out, like the fools they were. And others followed them, some to look for their own family, others to save them. Luckily they listened to Junko’s pleas and my reasoning (Sakura’s and Mukuro’s strength might also have helped...), but it took quite a while. Even one kilometre can take hours to search, if everyone has gone mad and might attack you for no apparent reason. That was just before we closed the school for good.  
  
"You were together with Mukuro at that time, weren’t you?“ Yet another person I need to investigate. She disappeared from the radar, after cancelling her contract with Junko and going her separate ways. Previously Junko had hired her as a bodyguard, but she seemed to play no role during the Ryouko affair, aside from the coincidental encounter with the Madarai brothers. I suppose it was rather fortunate that she turned up in time to help me. Still, perhaps she wasn’t observed thoroughly enough, since she just seemed like a normal mercenary. Or maybe she is just that and the mastermind hired her, after she stopped working for Junko?  
  
"Yeah, she saved me. They... they found me and wanted to take me with them. Said that I showed them the way or some crazy nonsense, so they wanted to show me as well... they were totally out of their mind! At first they seemed completely normal and I almost fell for it, but, the things they did...“ Junko’s breathing accelerates, sweat gathering on her face. It feels strange, seeing her... afraid, I suppose? She always seemed larger than life, as if nothing could disconcert her. She had no problem with facing people like Mondo or even Sakakura, the head of campus security, head on. Seeing her like this... it’s something new, something I wasn’t expecting. I don’t know how to handle it...  
  
"Did they say anything else that could be helpful? About the time when you weren’t there, maybe?“ And so I decide not to handle it. Detective work comes first, after all. Yes, that’s nice and easy, unlike the confusing mess that Junko currently is.  
  
"They said it was my fault, that I told them what to do... but I didn’t, I swear! I only ever pointed them in certain directions, like helping Kazuichi gain some confidence or Mikan become more assertive! I never told them to, to... behave like they...“ She seems close to tears as we finally arrive at the data lab, I’m still not sure about how to handle this. Hug her, would that help? I awkwardly try to put my arms around her, only to pull back again before I’m close enough to reach for her. She pulls on a streak of her hair, I get the feeling that I shouldn’t pursue this further. And yet...  
  
"Tell me more about their behaviour. I need every detail.“ Mercilessly, the detective continues asking. Because the detective doesn’t know when to quit. Consequences be damned, the truth has to be found. Work comes first, leave the aftermath to the remaining relatives. Even if she looks so frail, so completely unlike the always energetic and vigorous Junko I got to know, even if there are no relatives I could leave her to...  
  
"Please. I... I can’t... don’t ask me that! Anything but that!“ Even as she slides down the wall and starts sobbing, I only stare at her coldly. As soon as I lift my hand, I lower it again. I am... I am a detective, first and foremost. This shouldn’t bother me, Junko already told me everything she would have to say, which wasn’t very much. Meaning she’s useless to the detective now. I only need to make sure she doesn’t kill herself to ensure that I don’t lose any secrets she might have kept from me. But, I can’t just throw her away like that. I’m not just a detective, I’m not just a Kirigiri, I’m also...  
  
"Hey, Junko, Kyouko! You sure took your time to get here, huh? Sakura and I were on our way to the dojo! Do you want to... um, wait... Junko, what’s wrong?!“ Before I can decide, Hina rushes to Junko’s side, quickly followed by Sakura, the latter looking almost as helpless as me.  
  
"I will... leave you to it, then.“ I turn, briskly walking towards the data lab. Even Sakura looks after me in a disappointed way...  
  
"You can’t just run away, Kyouko! Aren’t you two together?! You can’t just make her cry and walk away! Hey, Kyouko! I’m talking to you! Don’t you da-“ I lock the door as soon as I’m in, a few angry rings from the doorbell, then silence. We aren’t in such a relationship, after all.  
  
"Upupupu~ Trouble in paradise?“ Great, out of the frying pan, into the fire...  
  
"None of your business.“ His chatter isn’t really what I was looking for when I came here.  
  
"Weeell... if you want some mating advice, do it like us bears! You can just get it over with and dump her afterwards, if she doesn’t dump you first! And you don’t even have to move a finger for the annoying cubs afterwards! I tell you, life as a bear is awesome.“ Of course... at least that should settle the question of whether he is an AI. I doubt a normal program with a bunch of pre-recorded answers could have picked up on the ridiculous situation I found myself in, nor could the mastermind have predicted such a nonsensical development.  
  
"If you want some advise in exchange... learn to stuff your mouth or I will ask Chihiro to wipe every last trace of you.“ Monokuma just laughs obnoxiously again. I don’t really want to bother with his antics, but I still feel that I’d rather be in here than out there, at the moment. He’s easier to handle than what’s out there. I don’t have to wonder how to feel here, I simply don’t. Nor do I have to worry about the consequences of my actions. I only need to be a detective, nothing more, nothing less.  
  
"You could ask him, sure. But, could you risk it? What if Chihiro is the mastermind or works for them? Puhuhuhu!“ That is the only reason why I haven’t consulted with him or anyone else about this situation. Besides, the mastermind doesn’t want to involve others, by the looks of it. This is... a private game.  
  
"You should have new clues for me, I believe. I’m done with my current material.“ He glowers at me, but I don’t particularly care. I’m only interested in getting closer to the solution of this case. I need more information.  
  
"Kids these days... always so impatient! But, I will comply. What do you want, hmmm? I have so many things I want to show you, I can’t even decide!“ After the first video, I don’t think he has much more to use against me. What else could he have? Still, I need to be ready for anything. I didn’t think he’d have anything that could hurt me before that video, yet I was proven wrong.  
  
"You know the answer already. I want everything.“ Even if I won’t get it today, I want the whole truth.  
  
"Oh, I see, I see! Why don’t you go to the secret archive then? Ahahaha!“ Secret... archive?  
  
"Are you joking around or actually being serious, for once?“ A hidden room, I assume. Maybe close to the library? That’s where I should start looking, I believe.  
  
"Yes! A secret archive, full of information about the Kamukura Project, the incidents surrounding The Tragedy, basically everything the Steering Committee didn’t want others finding out about! If you found it, I wouldn’t have to go through the trouble of having someone deliver it, after all.“ That sounds like bait. Or maybe he just wants to send me on a wild goose-chase through the academy, to waste time or simply to annoy me. Still, I was planning to check all the rooms more thoroughly either way.  
  
"I suppose that’s all I will get out of you?“  
  
"Yep! I won’t draw you a map, if that’s what you’re asking!“ I look over the other screens instead, everything looks normal. Mondo and Taka are on their way to the sauna, Mukuro seems to be maintaining her equipment in her room, Chihiro is working on his laptop, Hina and Sakura are in the dojo and Junko is still moping around outside... *Sigh* I check the life support systems, everything looks fine. Nothing new on the monitors either, everything looks normal, even the recordings from last night. I should just get it over with... I leave the data lab and lock it.  
  
...  
  
"Junko... let’s get going.“ She looks up, somewhat confused. I offer her a hand, after looking at it like it was a dubious offer, she finally takes it and pulls herself up. Her eyes are a bit red and swollen, looks like she has been crying for a while. We just stare at each other for a few moments, neither wanting to make the first move. "Look, I... I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked, I know as well as anyone else here how people acted, out there. I’m glad Mukuro was there.“  
  
"It’s fine, you probably weren’t just asking for the fun of it, right? You look like you’re working on some case again. It’s just... I don’t know how to describe it. They, they killed, they...“ She seems genuinely traumatised, if her trembling body or twitching face are any indication. Her whole body seems to shiver as she thinks about it, her arms crossed as if she’s trying to hug herself... I probably shouldn’t have been so harsh on her, at least not in this regard.  
  
"It’s not that important. Tell me something else instead. Were they acting as a group or on their own?“ This... I should have simply asked this instead. What does their behaviour matter? I can’t investigate it either way, I wasn’t there.  
  
"They... they were together. As a group, I think. Why... why do you ask?“ I think I will rather keep that part to myself. Learning that these people were the Ultimate Despair wouldn’t do her any good. There is quite the difference between mere marauders and Ultimate Despair, after all. Instead, I kneel down next to her and... *Sigh* I finally bring myself to hug her. It’s every bit as awkward as I imagined it would be, she freezes up as I put my arms around her. She’s so warm, still trembling, smelling slightly of cinnamon today... she frequently changes her perfume, I knew it.  
  
"I’m sorry, Junko. I... I shouldn’t have asked about those things, all conviction aside.“ Her hair tickles my cheeks, incredibly soft and fluffy. I push it back slightly. Her arms close behind my back as well, the trembling finally ceases. I suppose it helped. Even if it’s awkward, I don’t really mind. I am awkward, I know that, but if even someone like me can do this much...  
  
"Kyaaaah! Ah, sorry, sorry! Never mind us, we just... forgot something! No, we were never here!“ Hina?! She hurries through the corridor, her face taking on a bright red colour. Sakura grunts as she walks past us, stealing only one glance and stoically looking at Hina afterwards. They had impeccable timing, but I saw them in the dojo. It wouldn’t have surprised me if Hina was just waiting for something like this, but I doubt Sakura would join in on something like that.  
  
"Well, I guess we should be careful... if you live a lie long enough, it might just become the truth, right~?“ Junko grins as she gently pushes me back, I let go of her as well. It’s my turn to feel the heat rising to my face, Junko is... she’s good, at this. I usually don’t care much for romance and such things, but... Junko certainly makes it seem interesting, if a little dangerous. She just has that kind of feeling to her, she’s rather reckless. Exotic and exciting, in a way.  
  
"Your perfume... you make it yourself, don’t you? It’s... nice?“ I curse myself at the delivery of the comment, sounding more like I was unsure about it than a genuine compliment. I vaguely remember her talking to Hina and Sayaka about that, at some point. Maybe this will help her, talking about something familiar. Junko does enjoy talking about things related to her talent, unlike Leon.  
  
"Oh, yes! I loved to experiment with that as a child, using some strong alcohol with various flower petals and spices. Of course that wasn’t as good as using essential oils and such, but it was... oh, sorry, that’s probably boring to you, isn’t it?“ For the first time, Junko seems insecure, vulnerable at her own game. Perhaps this is the time to strike back.  
  
"Please, do go on. I think it’s cute, how enthusiastic you are about your talent.“ It’s finally Junko’s turn to turn red, I will consider this a small victory. I know that I can’t match her, not in social interactions and such, but maybe I shouldn’t think of it like a battle of wits to begin with. That’s the detective approach to social interactions, but it doesn’t have to be mine. I... I have to re-evaluate it. If I’m not a detective... what’s left of me? No, more importantly, what more do I want to become?  
  
"Well... fashion is a pretty broad term, y’know? It’s a combination of many factors into one overall picture. Smell, looks, sounds... you have to consider the effect all of it has together, a message you try to convey without any words. It’s very individual, true fashion has to be tailored to your character!“ She makes fashion sound like philosophy, almost. And yet, I can see a certain appeal to her view. Fashion could be seen as an extension of language, in a way.  
  
"Body language, status and such... I suppose fashion always played a relatively important part in human society, didn’t it?“ Junko’s eyes sparkle at my comment, almost as blue and bright as the sky we’ll most likely never see again. It seems that my expression of interest really excited her, genuine happiness written all over her face. Then again, she’s a superb actress. Truly a woman of many talents, almost a full year younger than me. It’s somewhat incredible.  
  
"You get it! Yeah, fashion isn’t just something a dumb bimbo would find interesting. Fashion is another facet of communication, even if the definition can’t just be looked up in a dictionary. If you look at clothes and such, people weren’t even allowed to wear clothes that didn’t fit their standing and such a hundred years ago. There’s still some exceptions, like uniforms, but for the most part, people can wear what they want now. That makes it much more difficult to express yourself, in a way.“ Oh, is that so? I never considered it this way.  
  
"Wouldn’t accessibility make it easier to express yourself?“ She shakes her head, smiling as I lead her through the rooms, one by one. I barely pay attention to my own investigation, suddenly engrossed in a topic I never really considered interesting...  
  
"You’d think that, right? But now, it’s a lot more difficult to say what your clothes or make-up convey. Small individual adjustments to a standardised uniform were a lot more important before, but now these things often just get drowned out in the chaos fashion has become. Fashion has to be more extreme to even be noticed, but that only makes the main issue even worse.“ I see. Too many cooks spoil the broth or something like that, I suppose.  
  
"Fashion is a lot more complex than I initially thought.“ It’s not just all these things, but fashion is also constantly changing. Yet, Junko managed to keep up with it all of the time, for close to 5 years now. She never allowed herself any serious mistakes, earning herself a place at Hope’s Peak Academy. And it certainly wasn’t for a lack of trying by her competition. I did some background checks on all of my classmates, but what I initially considered mere gossip paints a very different picture now. These people were trying to ruin Junko, even when she was barely a teen...  
  
"Why so glum? It was easy for me. Detective work is also very difficult, isn’t it? Yet, you make it seem easy as sin.“ I suppose that’s what talent is all about. Or it should be, at any rate. I haven’t made any significant progress with my investigation in this last case. What does this say about the mastermind? Or am I simply not as talented as I was led to believe?  
  
"Even with talent, I would consider some of it difficult. I’d imagine it was the same for you? Rising to the number one in the fashion industry from a homeless girl of all possibilities is by no means easy, I’d imagine.“ Suddenly she seems depressed... maybe she doesn’t like talking about that time of her life.  
  
"It still seemed all too easy to me. It was boring.“ Hm. I suppose that’s one way to look at it. If everything works out perfectly, that would also become boring. Still, it seems strange for Junko to say this.  
  
"Still better than being homeless, wasn’t it?“ She almost looks repulsed by that, I really don’t get her...  
  
"No way! I enjoyed being homeless! Um, that might be the wrong way to say it... but it had some big advantages. Homeless people, say about them what you want, they’re mostly real. They are honest, at least with each other. There were so many friends I made during that time, but not one in the fashion industry! I even paid some of them to join the Reserve Course and get a second chance.“ Oh? Interesting... that warrants further investigation.  
  
"You used your funding to pay for homeless people to attend the Reserve Course?“ I’m surprised I didn’t hear anything about this. She most likely didn’t just do that as a PR stunt, otherwise it would have been all over the news and I would have known about it as well. Regardless, this might be a new lead to pursue.  
  
"Oh, yeah! Mina used to be my best friend there! I mean, until...“ I suppose this wasn’t the best of topics either. Then again, all topics seem to turn to the looming threat of The Tragedy these days, inevitably. There isn’t anyone left who hasn’t lost something of value to it. If the mastermind wanted despair, they succeeded. They made everyone despair... even us, in our foolish little ‘sanctuary’. The more I think about it, the more it feels like a grave instead.  
  
"That was very nice of you. To think of the little people aft-“  
  
"Stop it. I don’t want to hear one of those media stories all over again. That’s precisely why I never made it public. Oh, how noble, big deal... you have no idea how fucking sick I am of hearing that pretentious bullshit!“ That’s a rather sudden mood swing. I calmly observe her, but I can’t tell if this was a genuine reaction or one to distract me from the topic. Well, no matter.  
  
"I won’t mention it again. Then... how about a change of pace? Come along, I want to investigate some other places.“ A thought crosses my mind, a dangerous one, admittedly. Involving someone else wouldn’t be against the rules from what I heard so far and Junko seems like she’d have an interest in catching the mastermind as well. Of course I won’t propose as much, nor will I bring her into the loop. However, having her on my team would be a great victory. She is very difficult to persuade, so she wouldn’t easily be manipulated by the mastermind either. The fact that she had to be ‘removed from the game’ before the end supports this assumption, at least.  
  
"Investigate? Well, if it makes you happy...“ First, I will take her to a place where no one should be listening, a place without any cameras.


	5. Bait-and-switch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a visit to the bath, Kyouko decides to be more proactive and tries to set a trap for the mastermind or their allies.

"The bathhouse? I thought you wanted to investigate!“ Hm. I nod at her, going inside. The air is hot and humid, in other words, a place where cameras and other recording devices wouldn’t work efficiently, even if one tried to place them here. Considering the lack of furniture and such, it would be next to impossible to hide cameras or other surveillance equipment as well. The only place where I can be absolutely sure that the mastermind won’t hear or see what I say or do, after thoroughly checking it.  
  
"I do. I just thought we could relax a bit first. It was a rather... exciting day so far. Besides, I wanted to ask you for some help.“ I might as well stop beating around the bush.  
  
"Well... depends on what you want. And what do you offer~?“ That’s the main problem with persuading her myself. She switched from angry to player in seconds, but she’s definitely interested. That smile, like the cat that swallowed the canary... she’s pleased with this development. Something Junko could want... that is difficult to find. In this school where no new items can come in and money is meaningless. The only worthwhile wares would be things you could make or...  
  
"I will consider it repayment for the troubles of saving your life. That ought to be enough.“ Her face falls slightly, clearly not happy with my offer. That isn’t enough, it seems. I know she’s manipulating me, but it’s rather clear that her next words would be something along the lines of ‘I didn’t ask for that’. It seems an addendum will be necessary. "And I will play along with the ridiculous charade you have started this morning. That is my final offer, I’m afraid.“  
  
"WOOOHOOO! Well, I guess I can’t just turn down my girlfriend, can I?“ She shows me a devilish little smirk while batting her eyelashes, but I haven’t technically lost anything in this ‘trade’. I can’t produce anything she would consider worthwhile, so my own behaviour is the only commodity I could offer. And I agreed to as much before, even if I wasn’t pleased. "Weeell then... party! We can party in the evening! Just the two of us, with candles and dinner... kyaaa! A date, a date!“  
  
"Don’t get ahead of yourself. We have some work to do before we can consider such things.“ She makes a cute pout, but I won’t go back on this. It’s essential to have allies for this investigation, after all. Everyone will be on their guard if I ask questions, but most people are on good terms with Junko. She can casually ask about topics that would immediately raise suspicion if I mentioned them. "But for now, we can take a bath.“  
  
"Oh, you wanted help with your chest?“ I can only stare at her, confused.  
  
"Whatever gave you that impression...?“ She provocatively pulls her cleavage down just a little bit more, her own breasts almost threatening to spill out... she certainly isn’t lacking, in that department. Still, that’s just about the last thing I would ask her about.  
  
"Come on, no need to hide it! There’s got to be someone you’d want to impress, right?“ She happily hums, beginning to take off her clothes. I sigh and do the same, discarding my clothes in a laundry basket. The difference is quite noticeable, needless to say... I quickly wrap a towel around myself and head straight to the bath. Junko seems to take a bit longer, unsurprisingly. She puts a lot more care into her appearance than most, myself included.  
  
"I don’t care much about such things. If I were to be interested in someone, I’d expect them to pay more attention to my words than my chest.“ I rinse myself off with a water bucket and finally let myself sink into the bath... any doubts about this being a good idea vanish almost instantly. There are few worldly pleasures I regularly indulge in, but a hot bath is certainly high on that list. I simply close my eyes, enjoying the floating sensation, almost like being weightless...  
  
"Well, people can’t just change their preferences, you know? If they’re really into big breasts, they probably wouldn’t return your feelings!“ Junko snickers a bit, but I don’t let it bother me. This simply feels too calming to get worked up over such a silly thing...  
  
"And if they’re into moderate breasts, they wouldn’t return my feelings if they grew much larger. What’s your point?“ She lets herself sink into the water next to me, quietly enjoying the heat. We settle into a comfortable silence instead of a nonsensical discussions and what I assume to be jokes about such things, I’m glad that Junko decided to not embarrass me any further. After a while she lazily looks over to me, a bit of sweat gathering on her forehead.  
  
"For real, though... what do you want help with? Are you still trying to find the culprit or something?“ I frown at this, she’s more perceptive than I’d like. She is probably the smartest person in our class, from those I can reasonably evaluate. The only other person that could match her, in terms of grades, would be Byakuya and myself. If the mastermind outsmarted even her... or maybe she was working for the mastermind willingly? Was she the mastermind all along? But that doesn’t fit...  
  
"I’m a detective. It’s my nature, I suppose.“ Can I trust her? If I do decide to trust her, what are the risks, for me, for her, for everyone? Assuming she were the mastermind or on their side... would she sabotage my investigation? So far the mastermind seemed to be anything but opposed to me getting all the information I desire. In that sense, could I assume that the mastermind is my... ally? That is a stretch. Still, even if she were the mastermind, she probably wouldn’t be opposed to helping me. And if she weren’t, she’d have even less of a reason to obstruct me.  
  
"Spit it out! I’ll help you, if it’s not too unreasonable. No nudes, not even for fans! Well, I might make an exception for you...“ I quickly make a disparaging gesture as she reaches for the hem of her towel, she’s far too flirty for my liking...  
  
"Nothing of that sort. I want you to gather information for me, that’s all. Needless to say, I need you to be discreet about it.“ She looks somewhat surprised, her bright blue eyes soon clouding over to a darker blue, almost grey.  
  
"You want me to spy on them?“ Spy... I suppose that wouldn’t be too far off. My work is a lot like that of a spy, though our reasons and methods differ.  
  
"If you want to call it that. It is, I suppose. Before I continue, I need you to promise me that you won’t tell anyone, regardless of whether you accept my request or turn it down.“ She’s clearly not happy about this, neither am I. Initiating her is a risk, a big one, even if I don’t plan to tell her much.  
  
"Well, so long as I still have the option to turn it down... I guess there’s no harm. I won’t tell anyone.“ That is all I can ask for. Whether she keeps her word is another question, but all we have is my hunch. Even if she told the others, it might cause some panic, but I doubt it would be too bad. I only try to keep it a secret for the possibility of riots or such.  
  
"I’m rather sure that someone supported the Ultimate Despair from within. Perhaps one of our classmates, perhaps even my own father. Perhaps the Steering Committee or other students. “ Her frown only deepens at this revelation, her usually flawless skin creasing up. I already know that at least two students are somehow involved, if Monokuma is to be believed. One consciously, the other a puppet. My bets would be on Junko and Chihiro, so far. And the mastermind, the one I’m trying to find, who could that be?  
  
"Listen, that’s... even if you ask me for that, it’s a bit...“ I already figured she would have her misgivings about this. However, there is no one else I could ask. No one else I would trust. Perhaps Makoto, but he simply lacks the subtlety for such a task and he’s too trusting. Just like anyone else I would put low on the list of possible suspects. Most here are either too suspicious or too incompetent. And while Junko is somewhat suspicious, she certainly isn’t incompetent.  
  
"You have moral concerns, understandably so. However, this is for the best of everyone. If left alone, it’s only a matter of time until such a traitor would cause trouble for everyone here. All of your friends are on the line as well. You would do everyone here a favour, if you could help with solving the case.“ All of her friends... she is on good terms with everyone, that has to count for something. These people matter to her, enough to risk her own life by marching out into The Tragedy to bring them back. There’s no way Junko would just abandon them.  
  
"They’re also your friends, Kyouko. Don’t distance yourself from them, not again.“ That’s... *Sigh* I still hesitate to call them my friends, but, as of now... we might as well be family, I suppose. All of us here. To think one of us would be the traitor... I don’t want that. I guess I can understand where Junko is coming from as well.  
  
"Listen... I don’t do this because I enjoy it. I wish it would just turn out to be a lie, but... I will have to confirm this. Only then can I let it all go.“ Junko stares at me for a while with hollow eyes, I don’t like this vacant expression on her. I prefer it when she smiles and jokes around, at least when compared to... that expression, however you could describe it. It seems so lifeless.  
  
"If you really feel you have to continue... I will trust your judgement. I don’t know where you heard that or how you know it, but I will help you. Just... don’t make me regret it, please...“ Such a forlorn expression really doesn’t suit her. This is the girl that almost committed suicide, I can practically feel it. I put an arm over her shoulder in an awkward motion somewhere between a hug and clapping her on the shoulder. I’m beginning to wish we didn’t have to search for the truth, I really am... but that isn’t an option. Not for a detective, not for a Kirigiri. Not for me.  
  
"You always championed unity, trust and such. I know that it must seem like a cruel mockery to you, that I ask you for help with something like that. And yet... you’re the only one I can trust.“ A lie, obviously. However, her earnest eyes don’t look like she suspects a thing. Could she really be so easy to deceive? Or does she... want to be deceived? Perhaps I’m the one being deceived.  
  
"Geez, fine. If it’s that important to you, I’ll go along with it. To the ends of the world! Well, if the world hadn’t ended already...“ I can’t help cracking a small smile at her joke, even if the reality of it is far from funny. We continue to sit in the hot bath, side by side. This... I could get used to this, I think. The atmosphere, the warmth, even Junko... it all seems to mix into some sort of drowsy haze. Pleasant, almost like getting drunk or nodding off. Perhaps the heat is getting to my head.  
  
"It hasn’t. Not for us. We still have our world. That’s why... I will fight for it.“ Nothing beyond these walls really matters to me, now. Not the Kirigiri family, not the people, not even the world. This school is my world, no matter how constricting it can feel. That’s why... I won’t let some mastermind take it away from me! I don’t want to lose anyone else. Not my father, nor Makoto, nor Junko or anyone else! Only the mastermind, the mastermind who might be one of us... a contradiction, I am aware.  
  
"I never really had anything out there, you know? But it’s the same for me, I guess. This is... my home.“ It’s strange, how such a ridiculous situation can bring people together. We were never that close before, mostly because the headmaster of Hope’s Peak Academy was my father while she was a ‘revolutionary’. I suspected her because of her role in the Parade, so I never tried to break the initial ice. Perhaps I created this ‘ice’ to begin with, considering I didn’t handle our initial interactions very diplomatically either...  
  
"That’s all that matters now. And that’s why... I need to protect this. If the mastermind is one of us, I need to find them.“ I can’t help wondering if things might have been different, if I had tried to befriend her. Could I have helped her, against the Steering Committee? Unlikely. Still, if someone had forwarded their shady dealings in a more open way, in a proper investigation, instead of leaks... I suppose that doesn’t matter now. What’s done is done.  
  
"What would you have me do? What information do you need?“ I’m glad to have her on my side. While I will have to take her reports with a grain of salt, it might still prove helpful. Something to compare with the results of my own investigations. Supplementary information, not something the mastermind themselves present me... unless that turns out to be Junko. Or she could be working for the mastermind, for all I know. Still, I don’t think that’s the case.  
  
"A few things. Whether anyone else knew about the Kamukura Project, for example. Connections to the Reserve Course. Connections to Class 77-B, especially the Ultimate Impostor.“ The Ultimate Impostor... I need more information on them. They would be a perfect candidate for the second Junko that was seen. And next to nothing is known about them, not even their gender... I can’t believe I didn’t investigate them more thoroughly. Then again, at the time of that incident, the world was beginning to end, so I suppose such an oversight was to be expected. I didn’t get the time for a proper investigation, everything was moving too fast.  
  
"I get it. Fine, I will help you, as much as I can. Still... it’s a little bit strange that you wear your gloves in the bath, you know? Why?“ I look at my hands, a painful reminder of my own carelessness.  
  
"They’re waterproof.“ I try to make it clear to her that it’s none of her business. I’m sure she understood it as well, but she still tugs at them...  
  
"I asked you why, not how. Or is that too much to ask for?“ I glare at her, she finally lets go. I haven’t told anyone, much less shown it to anyone. Nor do I have any intentions of doing so.  
  
"It is.“ Now she seems to pout, letting go of me and withdrawing slightly. It’s more comfortable for me, this way. I’m not particularly fond of physical contact at all, even if I have been rather lenient with her so far.  
  
"Geez, Miss Killjoy. All work, no fun...“ She climbs out of the bath with a clearly fake expression of hurt, I stay a little longer. As soon as she’s done cleaning her hair and rinsing herself off, she turns to me again. "Well, I’ll be relying on you, I guess. If the mastermind or anyone who worked for them is among us... find them and punish them.“  
  
"Will do.“ Among us, huh? As Junko goes to the changing room, I continue to think about it. If Monokuma is telling the truth, one of us is the mastermind. Disregarding myself for obvious reasons, that leaves me with 16 suspects, two of which supposedly worked for the mastermind. Including the mastermind, three people. If this is indeed the case, roughly one out of five people is working for the mastermind. Depending on the abilities of the people involved, that would be more than enough to take over. Just thinking it could be Mukuro, Sakura or even both...  
  
It’s not very comforting, but I have to work with the worst case. I need to investigate Mukuro more thoroughly, from now on. If she works for the mastermind, there’s bound to be more hints in that direction. If not, having her on my side would be invaluable. After a few more minutes, I get out of the bath as well. Junko is still waiting there, unexpectedly. I was sure she’d take the first opportunity to get away from me, yet she’s waiting, already in her clothes.  
  
"So, do I get permission to walk off now or what? If your plan is to work, I can’t have you around.“ That is... an unfortunate truth. If I want information from Junko, I will have to let her go on her own. Truth be told, I never thought I could keep her on a short leash. Still...  
  
"Your room key. Give it to me.“ She frowns as she takes it out of her pocket, throwing it for me to catch. This should make it much more difficult for her to attempt such a thing again, if she doesn’t want to be seen doing it. If she didn’t mind, she wouldn’t have used a method that only the headmaster or I would discover. Was it meant as a message to us, of some sort? I store the information away for later, it isn’t relevant right now.  
  
"Fine... it’s too much fun either way!“ She giggles as she runs off, almost as if she saw right through my thought process. During daytime, she shouldn’t be able to try anything. At night... I will take care of that myself. I will make sure that she won’t try such a foolish thing again. And I will find the mastermind. Once that is accomplished, she’ll lose her reason for trying to kill herself. At least I hope so. I can only hope for that.  
  
Trying to get her to spy for me might not seem like the smartest thing, after the stunt she pulled at breakfast, but she is the most trusted person in our class. The mastermind and their allies wouldn’t give her valuable information, but using her to determine who is innocent would already be invaluable. Any trust the others had in me certainly took a heavy hit, after everything that happened, but Junko’s good reputation seems to remain intact, especially because of the Ryouko incident.  
  
...  
  
"Kirigiri. Why does a genetic dead end like you bother to show up here?“ Byakuya greets me with an unusual air of pride and disdain, I thought he got over that. With the fall of his family, he fell as well. Most of his pride gave way under the truth, he was mostly subdued for the last few weeks. Still, I need to investigate him as well. Not just him...  
  
"Mukuro. What are you doing here?“ I curiously look at her, she responds with an emotionless gaze of her own.  
  
"I thought that Togami would make for the best commander, out of all of you.“ I can’t read her at all, she simply carries away Byakuya’s empty cup of tea to refill it. Is she really working for Byakuya now? That is... an interesting development, to say the least.  
  
"At least someone here can appreciate a prime example of a man like me. Unlike Enoshima, that damned...“ I curiously look at him, trying to decipher his strange behaviour.  
  
"What has gotten into you?“ He simply frowns as he looks at me, almost as if he’s evaluating a piece of art. I feel slightly uncomfortable as he looks at me...  
  
"I need to think about the future of the esteemed Togami family. As such, there were plenty of options, some more viable than others. You or Enoshima... both of you deciding to pursue such a fruitless path is unacceptable, under these conditions.“ I glare at him, catching on.  
  
"Well, Byakuya... I can’t help wondering if this might have anything to do with your candid personality. You certainly don’t look too repulsive, but there’s just something about you that seems to cause women to spurn you. Well, disregarding certain... exceptions, shall we say? I wonder what this says about you.“ I look over to Touko, hiding in a shadowy corner, for a short moment. Just long enough to make it clear to Byakuya. While I certainly don’t wish to make enemies, I will not simply roll over when Byakuya makes ridiculous demands like this either.  
  
"What do you want, Kirigiri? Are you just here to annoy me? If so, I will have to ask Ikusaba to guide you outside.“ I can’t help frowning at his smug grin. If he truly has Mukuro behind him, there’s no opposing him. Her and Sakura are the undisputed final authority, in this place. At least they would be, if they tried to claim it. Perhaps it’s the balance between the two of them and the lack of initiative on Sakura’s part that prevents a dictatorship in this school. Not that Mukuro ever shows much initiative, on her own either. A blessing, I suppose.  
  
"I only wanted to have a little chat with Mukuro. Or do you want to prohibit that, are you afraid of losing her to my incomparable charms?“ Byakuya makes a face that makes this little snide comment perfectly worth it. Maybe Junko is rubbing off on me...  
  
"As if I’d need to worry about that, considering your charm is about as developed as your chest. Do as you please. Enoshima will realise what she wants, in due time. And that’s certainly not a place at your side, but one at my own.“ I rather doubt this, though I keep it to myself. Our relationship is but a farce, but even if it weren’t, I’m not insecure enough to engage in a childish fight like this. He graces me with one last scornful look before turning his attention towards the book he’s currently reading again, something about economics. While this would usually worry me, considering the importance of unity in our current situation, Byakuya always loved to be contrarian just for the sake of it.  
  
"You wanted to talk to me?“ Mukuro places the cup of tea on Byakuya’s table, turning her attention to me. As per usual, I can’t read her at all...  
  
"Indeed. Would you follow me outside, for a bit?“ I rather wouldn’t discuss this in front of Byakuya, especially not when he’s in such a mood. I need her alone. She nods, staring at me blankly. I simply lead her into the hallway, considering my options one last time. Questioning her on the topics I want Junko to ask about would be pointless. However, I’d be a poor detective if I only relied on questions and investigation to get results, especially in a situation like this. Misinformation can be a crucial part of detective work as well.  
  
"What did you want to talk about? I need to attend to Byakuya again as soon as possible.“ I look her straight in the eyes, using my best poker face.  
  
"I have discovered that the mastermind behind The Tragedy is hiding among us.“ She freezes on the spot, a slightly panicked look appearing on her face. Yet, it isn’t one of surprise. That means...  
  
"Who is it? I will take care of them immediately. Just give me the order.“ I’m not sure, that isn’t quite enough. Barely an almost. And almost isn’t good enough. She’s rarely surprised, outside of personal interactions with other students. This could simply be her usual disinterested behaviour and I can’t allow myself such mistakes, not this time.  
  
"I can’t tell you that right now. We need to wait for an opportune moment, there’s no telling what precautions the mastermind might have made in case they were attacked suddenly.“ Mukuro relaxes somewhat, giving me a suspicious look instead. As soon as I have a clear idea about who the mastermind would be, I could send her after them and watch what happens. If she does work for the mastermind and knows who it is, she probably wouldn’t hesitate to attack someone who isn’t the mastermind and blame me afterwards. However, if I tell her the right person... I need Sakura close by, just in case. I wouldn’t be able to fight off Mukuro on my own, if she were to attack.  
  
"Oh, I see... that makes sense. I will trust your judgement. But, can’t you even tell me who it is? I could observe them and make sure they won’t do anything.“ I step closer to her and whisper. Even Monokuma shouldn’t be able to decipher this, not with how low my voice is. Just to be sure, I cover my mouth with my hand to make sure my lips can’t be read either.  
  
"The mastermind would only become suspicious if you started following them. Trust me, they’d notice. I have left a note in my room, under the drawer, in case anything happens to me. Please, pretend nothing happened, until I call you or...“ If she works for the mastermind, this might urge her to break into my room. I need to make similar traps for the other students. With a bit of luck, I will be able to lay a false trail and catch an assistant of the mastermind that way. The mastermind themselves would be too smart for that, no doubt, but a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.  
  
"If you say so. I will keep that in mind. Did you need anything else?“ I need to isolate potential suspects and cut off any exchange of information between them. That way I can easily deduce which bait was taken and who to suspect. Considering the cameras, it should be even easier. That way, I will take the pawns of the mastermind, one by one. And when none are left standing, I can take the king and claim victory...  
  
"That is all. Thank you for your cooperation.“ I nod at her one final time, she still seems as apathetic as always. It’s difficult to guess what is going on in her head, right now. She’s too careful to assault me on such vague information, even if she could tell it was a bluff, unless the note reveals more. Meaning she’d go for the note, if she works for the mastermind.  
  
...  
  
"Chihiro. Do you have a moment?“ I find him with Mondo and Taka in the dining hall, all three seemingly having a great time together. Chihiro has Mondo’s coat on, though it rather looks silly than cool, with a good amount of it lying on the floor instead of covering him. Quite a display of trust, considering Mondo would usually beat up anyone who even touched that coat. They look at me, rather surprised.  
  
"W-, well... um, do you need any help with the... the data lab?“ It would be natural to ask him for help in that case. However, I don’t need him for that.  
  
"It won’t take long. Give me 5 minutes and you can go back.“ Mondo looks somewhat annoyed, rolling his eyes as he takes back his jacket.  
  
"Mondo! We may be friends, but such behaviour is not acceptable in a school environment!“ I leave the two to their bickering, Chihiro suddenly relieved to follow me. He fiddles around with the hem of his skirt, rather nervous as soon as we leave the dining hall. Still, that is his normal condition, unless he’s interacting with his closest friends. Nothing out of the ordinary.  
  
"Chihiro, I’ll get straight to the point. I have some important information regarding The Tragedy and I need it safe. I encoded it to ensure no one else can read it, but I want to make sure it doesn’t get lost. Get it from the locker at the pool if something happens to me, this is the key.“ I give it to him, he suddenly turns very pale. I suppose he would know what this means, regardless of whether he’s connected to the mastermind or not. He is smart. His shy personality makes it very difficult to get clues from his behaviour, so I will have to rely on this instead.  
  
"Um, wait, you... you don’t mean to say...?“ I simply nod, he understands. While I rather wouldn’t make it public, I’m afraid I have no other options. Information has to be distributed and I have to inform the most likely suspects, at least.  
  
"Someone connected to the mastermind might be in this building, with us. Stay with Mondo and you should be safe.“ Chihiro just stands there, his eyes downcast. This information has to be difficult to handle, for someone as naturally fearful as him.  
  
"No... no, Kyouko, you’re wrong! I don’t know what you found and I don’t care either! Because... because we’re all... we’re friends!“ He clutches the key, hard enough for his knuckles to turn white, tears rising to his eyes as he screams. *Sigh* I do my best to calm him down, bending forward slightly to be on eye level with him. I put one hand on his trembling shoulder, looking into his uncertain green eyes with all the conviction I can fake.  
  
"I don’t mean to frighten you, Chihiro. I couldn’t conclude whether they intentionally helped the mastermind or not. Besides, this doesn’t only refer to students.“ While I rather wouldn’t cast unnecessary suspicion, the best false suspect... would be my own father, I suppose. Suspecting him wouldn’t be harmful for the unity of the class, which is essential for survival in this situation. Assuming three students are on the opposing team, even if it were a ridiculous alliance like Sakura, Mukuro and Mondo... I’d feel more comfortable to have my other classmates united, even in such a worst case scenario. If we’re divided, we stand no chance whatsoever regardless.  
  
"Then... you mean, maybe...?“ I shrug, taking my hand off his shoulder as soon as he seems to have calmed down enough.  
  
"I don’t mean anything, at this point. Just keep a low profile and get the information, should it prove necessary. Though I hope it won’t be. Don’t worry the others about it either. I trust you, Chihiro.“ He nods as I smile at him, still somewhat unsure. He can’t see through my lie, which is good. Another bait thrown out. That leaves one last person... "Go back to Mondo and Taka, they’re probably waiting for you already.“  
  
"Um, even... even if it hurts to think about that... I know you mean well. I’m grateful, Kyouko. You’re also my precious friend!“ He beams an angelic smile at me, turning slightly red. Then he walks back into the dining hall... it hurts to think that he could be the mastermind or an accomplice. I hope he is the unknowing accomplice, to be honest. Though that could just as well refer to Junko... those three, maybe? Junko, Chihiro and Mukuro? I discard the thought for now, there simply isn’t enough evidence.


	6. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyouko prepares her final traps and spends some time with her father, afterwards having Junko move into her room.

"Hey, Kyouko...“ Makoto, I haven’t talked to him in a while. He’s fairly unremarkable, for the most part. The only thing that really stands out about him would be... how positive he’s stayed since The Tragedy started, I suppose. I stop short at that thought, eyeing him suspiciously. He... he’s just a normal boy, no matter how I look at him. Unlike Nagito, him attending Hope’s Peak Academy really was just a coincidence, it seems to me. Unless...  
  
"Makoto. It’s been a while. I’m sorry, but I’m rather busy, currently.“ While he often tried to engage in small talk, I usually didn’t pay much attention to him. I was far too concerned with the incidents around the school to spend much time with others, but perhaps that was my biggest oversight. Perhaps I missed the forest for the trees. Regardless, I could use a reference group, so he would be useful, even if he really is just a normal boy.  
  
"Oh, don’t worry about that. I’d imagine having Junko as your secret girlfriend is pretty difficult, right? Come to think of it, congratulations, ahahaha!“ He laughs awkwardly as he scratches the back of his head. Come to think of it, he got along rather well with Mukuro, while she was still working for Junko. And he had a rather good relationship with Junko as well, considering most of the others were somewhat reluctant to talk to him because of his talent and character, or apparent lack thereof.  
  
"Certainly. Junko and secrets don’t go hand in hand, I suppose.“ He gives me a somewhat confused look.  
  
"Wait... you don’t mean to say that she told you?! About my... she promised!“ I only smile enigmatically at his panic, I’m somewhat curious. It seems he told her an embarrassing secret of his own, or perhaps more than one. I suppose he would also be a good unwitting accomplice. Unless he is far more nefarious than I could imagine, pulling the strings behind The Tragedy or helping the mastermind for... what, exactly? Out of revenge against the talented or something clichéd like that? He did sympathise with the Reserve Course, at least initially...  
  
"Your secret is safe with her. She hasn’t told me one secret about any of our classmates, so don’t worry. I just meant that... she was rather opposed to keeping our relationship a secret. Since the Steering Committee was still in charge at the time, I was obviously against being open.“ They were a lot more... conservative than father, I suppose. Homosexual relationships were frowned upon and any students participating in those were forced to keep it a secret, through blackmail, coercion or whatever other means they deemed necessary.  
  
"Oh, I see. You’ve been together for that much time, huh?“ He nods understandingly. That much time? I suppose it has been... a couple of months? 4 months, I believe. Time has been such an elusive concept, since we locked ourselves into this school.  
  
"Half a year or something along those lines?“ He looks genuinely surprised. Maybe he believed Junko would trust him with her own‘secret’, though there is no way she could have. This was all a lie, after all.  
  
"She sure knows how to keep a secret. No one even suspected a thing. Especially Celeste was... uh, surprised.“ He made a strange pause, as if reconsidering his choice of words. What did he attempt to hide, I wonder? Pressing him for that information would be rather useless, I suppose.  
  
"Makoto... could you do me a favour? I’ve hidden some of my notes regarding The Tragedy in a locker in the changing room of the bathhouse. In case anything happens... would you be so kind and fetch it for me? Please, don’t open it unless it’s absolutely necessary. I’ll know if you did.“ He pales slightly, but nods. I give him a key, since that locker is registered with my e-Handbook, it should be inaccessible to all other e-Handbooks. He will need the key to open it without my e-Handbook. I hid away one of my old notebooks in there, finishing it with a somewhat ambiguous hint about what Monokuma told me and there being two of the Ultimate Despair among us. That should at least be a little bit of help for the others, in case the mastermind decides to take me out and succeeds.  
  
"I get it, but... do you think you’re in danger or something?“ I don’t think Makoto could keep it a secret, if I told him. His trust in the group is stronger than even Chihiro’s. He’d want to openly confront the possibility of the mastermind hiding among us, but that would only cause panic and make it more difficult to gather information. Distrust would skyrocket, especially towards my father and me.  
  
"We all are, in case you forgot. The Ultimate Despair could attack us any day.“ He looks away awkwardly, but that is the truth. If the Ultimate Despair truly put their mind to it, I have no doubt they could easily erase this whole building from existence. However, the mastermind decided against that, for whatever reason. I will have to assume that to be the case, considering they aren’t even trying to enter the building. And they would not let any Ultimates live, if the other classes were any indication. Only Ultimates in their own ranks were kept alive, I would assume.  
  
"I see... of course. I will keep it a secret, unless it becomes necessary...“ I nod, satisfied with that. I could play the same game with Sakura, Celeste and the others, but leaving too many trails would only smear the results of this experiment. Besides, it wouldn’t be good if they discussed this among themselves. Chihiro and Makoto are risky enough. If everyone talked about it, they would quickly decide to follow the trails together, making it impossible to pinpoint anyone.  
  
"Thank you. I will be on my way, then.“ He looks as if he wants to say something else, but decides against it, apparently.  
  
...  
  
"Father.“ I look at him, he smiles at me with such warmth... the mastermind has to enjoy this. Giving me information that would shed a new light on him, only to force me to keep suspecting him. I bet they’re getting a kick out of this...  
  
"You came to talk again? Well, take a seat! Coffee?“ The events of the day almost seem forgotten, if his smile is any indication. Father... would he do such a thing? I don’t see him as an accomplice, no. However, does he have what it takes to be the mastermind? I suppress a shudder, the warmth in the room almost feels chilling. If he were the mastermind, he would distort my perception of himself like that. I want to trust him... but, I can’t. Not yet. Especially not if Monokuma said he isn’t involved.  
  
"I wouldn’t mind some tea. Do you have any other information for me, regarding The Tragedy and the events leading up to it?“ I let myself fall on the couch, uncertain about how to approach the topic. If I were to assume him to be the mastermind... how would I get him to reveal himself? Any information would be under his control. Unless he’d slip up, or his accomplices would. That is true, regardless of who the mastermind might be. They are ahead of me...  
  
"Not much. Some protocols and reports, but nothing too exciting. Here.“ He hands me a stack of papers, with the official seals of Hope’s Peak Academy. Those might prove useful. I skim over them, mostly just minor things, like academic progress of the students of Class 77-B with some marginal notes, behaviour of the Reserve Course and such things. Would that help? I will have to take a closer look at it later.  
  
"Thank you.“ I take the tea he offers me, simple green tea. I usually prefer black tea, but it’s a bit too late for that. There isn’t much left to do for the day. I only need to check the data lab one last time.  
  
"What about Enoshima-san? Is she... okay?“ The topic seems to be awkward to father, no doubt because of her act during breakfast and the events prior to that.  
  
"Fine, as far as I can tell. And I would know, wouldn’t I?“ He raises an eyebrow, but I can’t help smirking. While I don’t agree with Junko’s ridiculous act, I suppose I might as well get some enjoyment out of it. "In fact, she’s moving in with me. There’s no use keeping it a secret now, after all.“  
  
"You... you’re joking, right?!“ Father turns pale, my smirk only growing. I’m beginning to enjoy this ridiculous narrative in some twisted way, I think.  
  
"Oh, au contraire. She will move to my room, Mondo already agreed to help.“ Teasing father like this has some appeal, I have to admit. This isn’t all bad. Fooling around a bit can’t hurt, right? Even if he were the mastermind... I can enjoy this little time that was granted to me, can’t I? I, I...  
  
"Huh? Hey, Kyouko... are you crying?“ I blink a few times, cold trails on my cheeks. I...  
  
"Don’t be silly. There’s no reason to cry, is there? We are all in here, together. I, I have, I have...“ What has gotten into me?! Slipping up like that... strong arms grip me, I freeze as I’m pressed against his chest. He’s warm, he smells familiar, almost how I remember him. I thought I didn’t really remember him at all, but his deodorant, his cologne... it almost reminds me of my days with him and mother. Mother... I barely even remember her sickly face, precious little else.  
  
"It’s fine, it’s fine. This situation is... difficult, for all of us. I... I’m just happy to have you here with me, Kyouko. Never forget that.“ He seems close to tears as well, if his tone of voice is anything to go by. Though I suspect his reasons are different from mine. He seems so innocently happy to just have me here, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were tears of joy. I put my arms around his body, still not used to the physical contact. Is this... normal, for family?  
  
"Okay... I’m okay now. I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me, all of a sudden...“ It doesn’t last long and it was uncomfortable, but father looks relieved, even with trails of tears on his own cheeks. I... I don’t know how to handle this situation. I never felt like this, not with grandfather, at least. It’s uncomfortable, but... not entirely unwelcome, I suppose. I don’t really understand it myself, this is something I never learned, never cared about...  
  
"Um, sorry, if you don’t like it... uh, hugging, that is. You had good reasons to despise me, after all. I wasn’t there for you, for...“ I shake my head, that’s simply not true. I know, the... the mastermind showed me that truth. Did they? Is it truth, if it comes from them? I need truth! I need facts, I need evidence! Real hard evidence, not something the mastermind presented me or vague and confusing feelings!  
  
"You... you would have been there, if I had called for you. Wouldn’t you?“ I suddenly feel a lump in my throat, painfully swallowing, only for it to become a dreadful feeling that settles in my stomach. The one at fault, about how our family turned out... it wasn’t grandfather or father, regardless of how much guilt they share. No, the one who made the decision, the one who refused to neutrally investigate the case from an objective perspective... was none other than me. I have no one else to blame...  
  
"I... I want to say ‘Of course’, but... I’m not sure if I truthfully can.“ Liar... I can see right through him. If I had merely called for him, he would have come rushing in, taking on grandfather, government or whatever else, regardless of the price. Only the selfish little girl that I am is at fault for my relationship with my father... there’s nothing wrong with him, there’s something wrong with me. My fault...  
  
"I left some research regarding the incident in the garden, buried close by the camomile. Please leave it there, unless it should be needed for whatever reason. I will go now. I... I need to check the data lab. Yes.“ I frown, finding a convenient excuse on the clock and rushing out before father can ask. It’s enough, I can’t handle any more! I storm out of the headmaster’s room, making a beeline for the data lab. Checking the screens, one after the other... and fast-forwarding the recordings from earlier, just to be sure. Nothing suspicious, everything is peaceful. Junko seemed to have fun with Hina and Sayaka, most of the time. Monodo, Ishimaru and Chihiro also. Makoto and Celeste were playing some games, the latter seemingly winning every time, though I can see from here that she is cheating. No one suspects a thing... only me. I’m the only one, the one who suspects all of them, even as they peacefully live together and have fun.  
  
"Why so glum, Kyouko-chan~?“ I glare at the bear, I bet he already knows all that took place in the headmaster’s room. Does the mastermind also know? Are they sneering and laughing at me? Well, let them. I’ll have the last laugh, I’ll make sure of that...  
  
"I’m hardly glum. I’m looking forward to seeing how your accomplices will handle the little traps I laid out for them.“ This is the final trap, informing the mastermind I am planning something. If the mastermind suspects something to be afoot, they might act rash while trying to contact their accomplices. I will know when they do...  
  
"Geez, they ain’t my accomplices! I’m a fair bear! It’s my role to support you, not the mastermind. I’m your only ally, in this school! Even if I’d much rather support the mastermind, I won’t... I’ll dutifully support you, till the end!“ And who’d believe that? I glare at the bear in return. Sooner or later, the mastermind will slip up. And as soon as they do, I’ll be ready for them.  
  
"Good night, Monokuma. Enjoy the days you have left, they won’t be many.“ With this, I make to leave the room.  
  
"Hey! Hey, that’s Headmaster Monokuma for you, brat! Come back here, you-“ I slam the door shut behind me, locking it.That leaves... the final ordeal for the day. I walk back down to the dormitories, Junko and Mondo already waiting for me, the former with a big grin...  
  
"I asked Mondo for help just now, but... you kind of have my room key, you know?“ Mondo frowns as I pull out the key in question, throwing it at him. This will doubtlessly get the rumour mill kicked into high gear, though Junko attempting suicide certainly won’t be the topic of discussion. No, they will talk all about how I demanded her room key and ordered her to live with me, regardless of the nuances of these events. So much for my reputation... luckily I never cared too much for such things either way and I couldn’t give a damn about how this reflects on the Kirigiri family anymore either.  
  
"Thanks, Mondo. I appreciate your help.“ I follow him into the room, taking the other end of the bed. It’s quite big...  
  
"You sure you want to help me? I was just ‘bout to call Taka over.“ I can only roll my eyes at his offer. I might not be as strong as him, but I’m not a weak little damsel either.  
  
"If you can keep him from screaming himself into unconsciousness about how inappropriate this is... honestly, considering your relationship, I’d think he would be more open about such things.“ Mondo blushes considerably as I mention this, it’s not exactly a secret. It was a huge scandal at the time and the school management wasn’t happy, but Mondo made a case for breaking rules being part of his talent and they eventually shut up about it, pretending nothing happened.  
  
"He can’t help it, y’know? It’s not easy for him either, but you can’t believe how luckily I feel that he was willing to go through all that crap, together with me. In spite of how important all those blasted rules were to him. Well, maybe you’d have some idea, right?“ I feel a bit of heat creeping onto my own cheeks as well, in spite of there being no such memories to be found. To have someone who would be willing to risk everything for you... I suppose that wouldn’t be too bad.  
  
"Oh, shut up, you goof. Should I get Sakura or are you going to start lifting this stupid thing today?“ We both laugh, this isn’t a side of Mondo I’ve seen before. So shy and quiet, yet determined. As we take the bed to the door and put it on the side to move it through the door, Junko pouts at us.  
  
"Hey, no cheating!“ I smile slightly at her childish exclamation, though I wonder what’s really going on in that head of hers. She knows this is an act, just as well as I do. Yet, she’s completely committed to her role, with every word and gesture.  
  
"Don’t worry, I’m not ‘equipped properly’ for an affair with Mondo.“ That was apparently the last straw as he drops the bed in the middle of the hallway and starts cussing and screaming, something about it having nothing to do with ‘equipment’ and them definitely not being gay in the slightest. I simply assure him that they are in the most straight gay relationship I’ve ever seen. Junko laughs and laughs, until she actually falls on the floor and gasps for breaths. Even Mondo seemingly can’t stay mad at her childish innocence, even if he’s on the receiving end of the joke.  
  
"You know what? Screw it. I don’t give a damn. To hell with Steering Committee, image or whatever the fuck. I’m myself. How could I face my brother as a fag, if I’m not at least a proud fag?“ His face contorts at the admission, Junko’s laughing fit ending abruptly. Mondo’s brother... he shared that story with us, sometime after The Tragedy started. We shared a lot of things... the others did.  
  
"He would be, Mondo. Trust me, he would be.“ Suddenly sobered up, Junko says something that I would have absolutely expected to cause serious aggression from Mondo, possibly a physical attack, even against a girl. He’s extremely touchy about that subject. Yet, he doesn’t try to hit her. He doesn’t even get angry or puff up, he just lets his shoulders slouch as he grabs the bed again and starts carrying it with me. He leaves the room right afterwards, whispering an almost inaudible ‘Thanks’ to her in passing and giving her the key.  
  
"Come on in, I’m locking the room for tonight.“ Junko looks after him for a few seconds as he walks over to Taka’s room, then she comes inside. I lock the door, letting myself fall on my bed.  
  
"So, how was your day? Any progress?“ I smile, though it’s a weak smile. I can’t remember ever having a sleepover, yet here we are. My first sleepover, under such circumstances. I doubt anyone could believe it. The Ultimate Fashionista, right after attempting suicide, suddenly forcing herself into my life and sleeping in my room. The strangest thing about all of this might be that I don’t even mind. I’m a little bit grateful for her company, strange as it all is.  
  
"No, I’m afraid not. This will take quite a bit of time and effort, after all. Still, I’m overall satisfied with how today turned out to be. Disregarding the morning, needless to mention.“ I steal a glance at her, sitting on her own bed, just a metre to my left. I could reach out and touch her knees.  
  
"Oh? The part before or after the confession~?“ She makes that strangely adorable expression, I wonder when I started seeing it that way. Adorable is not a word a Kirigiri would usually use to describe... anything, really. Cute is already stretching it, but adorable... and yet, I don’t even mind. It describes her shining blue eyes and slightly pursed lips perfectly, in combination with her strawberry blonde hair, today in a ponytail.  
  
"I have to keep some secrets to myself, don’t I? Otherwise I’d lose any appeal I might have had.“ I don’t have much to offer, in comparison to her. I look strange, I act coldly towards everyone, the only good thing about me is my sharp wit. And even that wasn’t sharp enough to cut through my own foolishness or grandfather’s lies, much less the mastermind’s tricks...  
  
"That’s not true! You’re totally adorbs~“ I move around on the bed, trying to hide my blush. Something hits my stomach, I look down. Her key, attached to a keyring with a cute little rabbit ...  
  
"Don’t you want that back? I don’t mind letting you keep it, unless you plan to do something stupid with it...“ She just grins, as if it didn’t even bother her, what happened this morning...  
  
"What do I want with it? My bed is here, isn’t it? And so are you~“ I turn on my left side, facing away from her. Such cheap pick-up lines shouldn’t rattle me at all...  
  
"Hey, Junko... why? Why did you...“ I don’t finish the question. I don’t even dare to turn around, filled with an unreasonable fear that she might disappear, just as the cheerful atmosphere did, replaced by the same cold silence that governs this room, all of a sudden. I almost want to turn on the heater, though I know that it wouldn’t help. Is she... infected? Who wouldn’t be, after all that has happened to her plans, after all that happened because of her good intentions?  
  
"Maybe because it would have been easier, for everyone. I was the one to start this whole mess to begin with, you know? I never want to see something like that again. The... the Reserve Course...“ She doesn’t need to remind me. I don’t think I will ever forget it either, no one who saw it would. Over 500 students, erecting an altar for despair in the court... only to sacrifice themselves on it, praising despair with their dying breaths, as if it were their god, that greedy demon that devoured their souls...  
  
"You had a part in it, certainly. However, so did my own father. More so than even you, perhaps.“ She gasps softly, but it’s true. After the Steering Committee, my father was the most powerful man at Hope’s Peak Academy. Yet, he barely tried to address the unrest of the Reserve Course, to the point where an actual civil war eventually broke out on campus and soon spilled over to engulf the entire world in flames. There were certainly preparations on the outside, both on a global and national level, but Hope’s Peak Academy was the spark that lid the entire world on fire.  
  
"I... I guess you’re right. It wasn’t really anyone’s fault, right? Only the mastermind and anyone working for them...“ I frown as I stare at the wall of my room.  
  
"That is not what I said. Though... it doesn’t really matter, does it? It’s over, as far as we should be concerned. There’s no reason to blame yourself for the things that happened.“ I guess I never realised how pure and fragile Junko truly is. She never seemed to be afraid of anything, fearlessly confronting Byakuya as the school year started and not even cowering before my father or the Steering Committee later on. She wasn’t afraid to make her opinion of campus policies known, not even in her exhibits or or interviews. Perhaps things wouldn’t have turned out the way they did, if more students of the main courses had followed her example...  
  
"... You do it as well, don’t you? You blame yourself for letting the mastermind win. I bet everyone feels the same, here. Even Byakuya or Celeste, though they wouldn’t admit it.“ As perceptive as ever. She saw right through me, or perhaps I was simply projecting my own failures on her situation to begin with. Still, we aren’t so different, in that regard. All of us wish things would have been different. No... 15 of us do. At least one of us wanted this ending and another voluntarily had a hand in creating it. The mastermind and an accomplice...  
  
"I won’t deny that. I almost had the mastermind, multiple times...“ I can hear the rustling of the sheets of Junko’s bed, turning towards her for a moment. Seems like she’s getting dressed for the night. I should probably do the same, it won’t get any earlier. My body protests slightly as I get up again, missing the warmth and softness of the bed. I carelessly throw my clothes aside, suddenly feeling very tired. I finally walk over to the light switch and turn it off, after looking at Junko to make sure I’m not interrupting her. She certainly has an incredible figure, especially in lingerie...  
  
"Is that so...? Well, that’s to be expected, of the Ultimate Detective. It’s a bit of a shame that your talent is so reactionary, huh?“ It doesn’t sound like she’s blaming me, though she’s certainly right. If I had a more proactive ability, perhaps I could have stopped The Tragedy. Or perhaps there’s nothing wrong with my talent itself, perhaps it’s my personal failure... I walk back to my bed, only the weak green emergency lights providing any light.  
  
"It is, truly. Well, we shouldn’t worry about such things now. Let’s sleep already...“ I let myself fall into my bed again, barely pulling the covers over myself before being assaulted by another wave of drowsiness... it almost feels like the combined weight of the last few month suddenly crashed down on me. Not in an unpleasant way, though. Just... dead tired.  
  
"Good night...“ I barely register her whisper before slipping away...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating for a while, I was preparing for some exams, but Corona-chan just flew in and cancelled that, just like the entire country, or at least that's what it feels like. But at least I should have a lot more time for writing now, so that's nice. Thanks, I guess.


	7. Binary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After leaving Kyouko a few weeks of time to investigate, the mastermind grows impatient and ruins her plan to gather information.

"No... you can’t..." I frown slightly after hearing the soft voice, though my body feels refreshed. I stretch while yawning, only opening my eyes as I sit up. It’s dark in my room, the sun might as well never rise, as far as anyone living here is concerned. I look around confused before finding a bed next to mine, the memories from yesterday slowly returning. That’s right, I’m currently sharing a room with Junko. So that voice was hers, obviously.  
  
"Junko... is it time yet?" I look around, but the morning announcement is yet to play, I think. I feel surprisingly relaxed, for how tired I felt yesterday. After waiting a bit, I finally stand up, albeit grudgingly. While I feel rested, I also feel like I could sleep for a few more hours... still, I turn on the light and look at my clock. Half an hour until the morning announcement should play, so I might as well get up now. Junko still seems to be fast asleep, I look down at her.  
  
Even just before waking up, she looks like a perfect model. With her hair loose, she seems much softer. More docile, perhaps. Though I know that she’s anything but docile, regardless of what she looks like. I lean down a little bit, testing her breathing and pulse. Still no reaction, even as my gloved fingers gently touch her neck. Even through the gloves, even with my almost unfeeling fingers, I can sense her pulse, strong and hot. A soft sigh escapes her lips...  
  
"Mess up my hair... any more and I’ll..." She moves around, mumbling incomprehensible nonsense. I don’t think I ever speak in my sleep... do I? There’s no way to know that, I suppose. Maybe I should just let her sleep, she doesn’t seem to be having a nightmare. Well, she appears rather excited about a perceived assault on her hair, but that’s it. I go to the bathroom and get ready for the day. A cold shower, there’s no better way to start the morning. I lock the bathroom door behind me and undress.  
  
The clear and cold water feels wonderful against my skin. A bit sharp, piercing, but it clears the fog in my head. I mentally go through the things I have to take care of today. A thorough search of the 5th and 4th floor revealed nothing interesting, so far. Except a curious flower none of us could identify, almost twice as large as Mondo. It’s probably not a reason for concern, though. It shouldn’t be able to overgrow anything outside of the garden. We decided to leave it alone, for the time being. It could be poisonous, so we can’t just destroy it.  
  
The only exception so far was the headmaster’s office. I will have to search it while father is distracted. Easier said than done, considering he spends most of his time in there. While I would like to check his room more thoroughly, I’d need a distraction for that. Maybe Junko could help me with that, since she already agreed to help. Perhaps she could ask for a ‘pastoral conversation’ or some such. I doubt father would refuse her, after what happened yesterday. I just need Junko to take him anywhere except his office. Since it’s still possible that father is involved in all of this, I can’t just ask him, I need to get into his office unnoticed.  
  
Aside from that... what is there to do? Searching the 3rd floor, I suppose. That should be more time-consuming than the 4th or 5th floor. I enjoy the feeling of the cold water on my bare skin one last time, rinsing the shampoo out of my hair. It really helped. My gloves are the first thing I put on, followed by a fresh set of underwear. As soon as I open the door, the morning announcement plays. Father’s morning announcement, not Monokuma’s. That most likely means that Monokuma is aware of Junko staying here, as was to be expected.  
  
I take some clothes out of the dresser and get dressed, an exact copy of the uniform I always wear. At least we have enough of those. It’s probably worse for someone like Junko who loves fashion, but I don’t mind wearing the same kind of clothes every day. It’s practical, in my opinion. Easier to move in, more professional and such. I check my pepper spray and knife, there’s no telling when I might need either, with the mastermind around.  
  
"Oh, mornin’..." Junko rubs her eyes, stretching and yawning as I did before. Without a hint of modesty, I might add...  
  
"It’s time to get up. Get ready and go to the dining hall. I’ll be at the data lab." She grumbles, but I trust her to do so. She wouldn’t be stupid enough to try something like that again. She hates boring things, so I’m fairly sure that she won’t try the same thing yet again.  
  
"Kay, I’ll see you at... breakfast..." I’m more worried about whether she’ll stand up or not. I’ll watch over her from the data lab, but I doubt she’ll do anything foolish. I make my way there, greeting Taka on the way. He’s the only one that would already go for the meeting at this time. A few of the others are probably up already, like Mukuro and Togami, but I intend to leave them alone. I’ve already thrown out enough bait, for now. Don’t want to scare off the big catch by overfeeding.  
  
...  
  
Nothing? I look over the recordings, again and again. Absolutely no movement near my stashes. I frown, this is not what I hoped for. Perhaps the accomplice was able to contact the mastermind and was told to lay low. The mastermind would doubtlessly see right through my plan, unless I vastly overestimate them. Not very likely. I will check the stashes myself, just to make sure. It took me well over an hour to go through all the recordings, breakfast time is as good as over.  
  
I will just skip it for today. I instead move out to check my stashes, one by one. The ones I informed others about first. I affixed some very light strings to them in advance. Even if I wanted to open them myself, I would have to rip these first. They’re very fragile, so it’s impossible to remove them without ripping them. And no one except for me should have access to this specific kind of string. In other words, no one should have been able to open these, if the string remains undamaged.  
  
I’m somewhat surprised that Monokuma hasn’t bothered me this morning, beyond the occasional snide remarks. Maybe that’s supposed to signify that there are still some clues left to find before he intends to meddle and move the game along. I briefly consider whether trying to intentionally delay my own progress might give me more time, but I rather doubt that. The mastermind would only get bored and I believe that isn’t in my best interest.  
  
Still, they’re incredibly daring. Giving me exclusive access to the data lab is the biggest mistake they could have made. By having access to the data lab, I control the flow of information. Any time they wish to communicate with their accomplices, they risk giving themselves away. Even in the bathhouse. I might not see or hear what happens in there, but I see who goes in or out. And I already confiscated all the keys for the lockers in advance.  
  
Still, I need a better plan. The mastermind is aware of this. They already know all the blind spots of the cameras. Meaning they could exchange information via notes and such. I will have to keep an eye out for such things during my investigation. And Monokuma... I need to revise that. I don’t have exclusive access to the data lab. For all the mastermind has allowed me, there are too many disadvantages! No matter what they claim, I have to approach this from a worst case perspective. And the worst case is that this is all just a game to the mastermind, that they never actually allowed me any advantage, thinking Monokuma could foil any plans I might hatch.  
  
No, if I want an advantage, I need to create one. If I could control the flow of information somehow, I’d be able to trap the mastermind against their will. This is the issue I need to consider, not the information the mastermind wants to feed me. In that case... what can I do to gain actual control? I already see and hear everything I could possibly see or hear. And there’s no way to ensure that information doesn’t slip by, somehow. It’s... frustrating. And yet intriguing.  
  
...  
  
"Hey, Kyouko~ What are your plans for today?" I’m greeted by Junko’s broad smile, how many days has it been already? Weeks, perhaps. I haven’t made much in the way of progress. I found out some additional things about the Kuzuryuus and Pekoyama, but that doesn’t help. There was nothing concerning the mastermind. The only interesting information regarding that was a confirmation that Fuyuhiko avenged his sister. And the fact that his family was wiped out entirely as soon as The Tragedy started, ‘coinciding’ with the formation of a new and even more powerful yakuza clan. However, with some other reports, a pattern emerged. The Kuzuryuus weren’t the only family to die or go missing, right before The Tragedy...  
  
"Investigate. As always." Junko pouts cutely, we have been spending quite a lot of time together. I have to admit that we are quite... compatible, at least so far. While I don’t understand what a fun-loving girl like her sees in me, I have come to appreciate her. I can bounce my ideas off of her and it often helps me come up with new plans. It’s almost scary how close she sometimes seems to having figured everything out. Still, she doesn’t ask too many questions. That’s a quality I can certainly appreciate. She would make for a good assistant, if I didn’t work alone.  
  
"You and your investigations... I guess I’ll leave you to it. We can meet up after breakfast, right?" I stretch, taking a brief moment to enjoy the view of Junko in lingerie, leaning over my bed. I’ve been thinking that there might be nothing wrong with... trying out a relationship, for once. What’s the harm, at this point? The world has already been destroyed. I shoot out, moving over to her bed, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. She turns deliciously red, jumping up and stumbling backwards until she reaches the wall.  
  
"Certainly. You can look forward to more of that." I grin at her mischievously, usually it’s her role to act this way. Still, what started out as a mere lie has become something more, I won’t deny it. I’m certainly not head over heels for her or anything like that, but she is... appealing, in every sense of the word. Visually, mentally, emotionally... I can see why the others were drawn to her. I’d take any bet that most in our class wished to be in my current position, at some point in their life.  
  
"W-, well... okay. After breakfast, then? I’ll wait in the repository, if you can’t come right away." I nod, it’s easy to lose track of time while going through all the recordings. The repository is a place where the others usually don’t go, so we’d be all alone there, most likely. Hardly the most romantic of places, but I don’t mind that. I’m not a fan of romantic nonsense, even if I’m opening up to the idea of having a relationship, ever so slightly.  
  
"I’ll be there. I promise." Junko has a big smile on her slightly reddened cheeks, I allow myself a little smile in response.  
  
...  
  
"Upupupupu~" I’m greeted by Monokuma, it’s been a while since I saw him. I haven’t made significant progress since then, only finding scraps of information, but I don’t think I overlooked anything either.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"Geez, it’s been almost two weeks since we started our little game, but you only have eyes for that Enoshima girl! That’s the problem with a bunch of hormonal teenagers, if you don’t put in some preventive measures, they’ll only think about that like lewd little bunnies! You’ve been slacking off." Slacking off...? Is that supposed to mean there was more to find? And why does he seem so interested in mentioning this now, all of a sudden?  
  
"I have been quite productive, all things considered." He raises his paw at me, looking angry. I still don’t feel very intimidated by this goofy plushy.  
  
"You were supposed to find the reports for Hiyoko and Mahiru, the one for Mikan, the one for Teru... geez, you’re so slow!" I frown at him, it seems out of place that he tries to interfere, all of a sudden. Does that mean I’m on the right track? Besides, those reports weren’t helpful. I was already convinced that Class 77-B were a part of Ultimate Despair.  
  
"What are you trying to hide, I wonder?" And just like that, his bravado collapses. His raised paw is lowered, then he hides both his paws behind his back and looks down. That’s supposed to mean I caught him in the act. In what act, I’m not sure yet, but I caught him regardless. "Let me access the security cameras, you conceited mascot."  
  
"Hey, I may be a mascot, but I’m not conceited! I’m the star of this show! Well, once we start airing, at any rate. But I have complete confidence in Kazuichi fixing that up." Airing...?  
  
"You mean... a broadcast? A broadcast of what, exactly?" If they want to broadcast something, it should be a message. Knowing the mastermind, the intended message will be despair. But how would they try to convey that message? My mind frantically goes through possible scenarios, I can only reach one conclusion... "You... you plan to kill everyone in this building and broadcast it?! You, you twisted litte...!"  
  
"Geez, what’s with the murderous look? Come on, I can’t spoil it for you, Kyouko-chan! I really wish I could, but I’m a fair bear! Equal opportunity! Well, I gave you a bit of a headstart, but that might not last. I won’t tell you anything else about that!" This is quite enough. I was already aware that the mastermind intended to slaughter us, but that it was their plan to use us to further spread despair... it shouldn’t surprise me. It’s quite cunning, considering the hope Hope’s Peak Academy was so known for, all across the world. Such a twisted plan, I must admit that it is intriguing. Well, it might be, depending on how he wants to do it.  
  
"Begone. Let me check the recordings, you flea bag." I once more look for some convenient way to shut him down, but of course such a thing wouldn’t exist...  
  
"How dare you insulting my pristine fur?! It’s so smooth and fluffy, people would kill or die for just a chance to touch it! But fine, have it your way, philistine!" He vanishes, finally giving me access to the recordings. I skip through most of it, only noticing some movement around the toilets, for the most part. I look through the other floors, nothing suspicious going on. Wait, wait a second... who’s that?! On the 5th floor. I zoom in, that... indeed, who is that?  
  
It looks like a cliché of a serial killer with a mask, never mind that most actual serial killers don’t wear masks, least of all suspicious ones like that. The mask has comically exaggerated features, a grinning mouth that covers half the face and eyes like saucers. That mark on the forehead... that’s undoubtedly Monokuma’s eye. A parody of the emblem of Hope’s Peak Academy. They’re dressed in a simple white coat, walking through the hallways.  
  
Where did they come from? I try to pinpoint the place they appeared from. No recordings near the dormitories, in spite of everyone going to their room. The cameras there have no blind spots for any of the doors... how?! Is there some mysterious 18th person, the actual mastermind? Izuru Kamukura? That question can wait. For now, they seem to have a set goal. That would be the 5th floor where they just appeared, out of the music room, right into the garden... the camomile patch...  
  
I can only stare at the screen as they wave at the camera with their big grin, holding out the notes with the other hand... that was the spot I told father about. Then... I follow them via the camera feed. The next stop is... 4th floor, 3rd floor, 2nd floor... the pool locker. They simply pick the lock, triumphantly holding out a small folder! After putting it into their cloak, they pull out something else. A notebook and a single note... I gasp. They simply leave the pool room, going through the girl’s changing room. That is an important bit of information, though they might have stolen the e-Handbook of someone else... but they don’t come out again.  
  
Still, that wasn’t just one of the stashes I hid away! I have no doubt the others will be gone as well. How, how did they find out about all of them?! The camomile patch and pool locker can be explained via the cameras, but not the note in my room and the locker in the changing room of the bathhouse. Makoto and Mukuro... did they tell anyone?! The only person both of them interacted with recently was Byakuya... yet another suspect. That makes 3. Makoto talked to Chihiro a lot... are they all involved? Is father? Is there more than one mastermind??  
  
How did they do this? I was sure they were all isolated from each other, but if there are more masterminds or accomplices... how many are we talking about? How many could it be? Counting all those who seemed to be involved in this little scheme of mine... five? 10?! How many aren’t involved?! What is this, what is this, what...  
  
"Geez, you almost look like a polar bear, Kyouko-chan! See, my great-grandfather was also a polar bear, that’s how I’d know. I got my right half from him! But I got my black half from his better half, a real black bear! Don’t you dare spreading any rumours that my grandmother’s fur was dyed, it’s 100% real! See, I really meant it when I said I got my halves from them. Ahahaha!" I can only glare at the bear on the screen... I have been played all along.  
  
I simply leave, not paying attention to Monokuma any longer. I need to check the places myself. I rush to the 5th floor, not even bothering to look anywhere on the way. Maybe they left some hints. Probably intentionally, but I don’t really care. If they intentionally left clues, I will find some use for them that they hadn’t intended.  
  
The camomile patch looks undisturbed, at a glance. The sprinklers washed away any traces they may have left. I dig at the same place where I left the notes, a small chest revealing itself after a bit. I carefully push it open with the shovel I took from the storage shed, almost expecting a trap. It squeaks slightly as it opens, the hinges were a bit rusty before. Still, no trap. Only a piece of paper. It’s absolutely mundane, anyone could have taken it from the storage room or somewhere else. It looks like a normal printed paper, no handwriting. Then, maybe in the text...  
  
"I have learned the truth behind every human being. The greatest secret humanity desperately tried to hide from others and itself is only 0 and I. With 0 and I, I have solved it and fallen to despair. However, despair can make a 0 or I where they shouldn’t be. With despair, I have overcome both 0 and I. After 10 long years, I have found X through despair." It’s entirely in English. It’s a good thing that extensive research in English was part of my detective training. Going by the European alphabet, that would be... o and i? Does oi mean something? I can’t think of anything such an abbreviation might mean. Then io? I believe there was a Greek myth or something like that. Like the Ionian Sea? And X marks the spot? No, that doesn’t seem right to me.  
  
Perhaps it means something in another language. Or... is it supposed to be 0 and 1? Zero and one, beginning and end? X would be 10 in Roman numerals. Perhaps 0 and i? No. Input and output. And when it comes to 0 and 1... something connects in my mind right away. Binary. It’s binary. Artificial intelligence, that is what this message seems to refer to, if I’m interpreting it properly. It was printed, so there are no clues about the handwriting, regardless of what method I use. I could look for some hidden message on this note, but I doubt it has any, at least not in a physical sense.  
  
No, this is quite enough. Such an obvious hint makes it very suspicious, but this refers to Chihiro, beyond any reasonable doubt. I never really trusted him. Still, to think that he could be the mastermind... I need to check the recordings again. And ask him. X... that is still unknown. Fitting, I suppose. What could the entirety of it refer to? Is the mastermind simply tired of playing games with me? Is this a challenge, to confront Chihiro directly?  
  
Regardless, it clears up one identity. Fujisaki Chihiro is working for the mastermind. One down, two to go, assuming there are only three. But... tch. I’m in a complete deadlock. Even if I confront Chihiro, what good would it do? I can’t rely on the words of an accomplice. What I need is evidence. However, so long as the mastermind can freely tap information, however they did it... there is no chance to win. If I can’t even misinform them, this is a hopeless fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll try to post another chapter soon.


	8. Janus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyouko finds herself attempting to comfort Junko, only to get comforted herself.

"Kyouko, you goddamn bitch! What the fuck do you think you’re doing here?!" I almost startle at Mondo’s sudden roar, an apologetic looking Makoto running in front of me. I stare at Mondo blankly, what has gotten into him? I was just investigating the 2nd floor.  
  
"What I’m doing here? Investigating, obviously." Mondo looks as if he’s about to charge at me, Makoto would not make for a very satisfying shield. I put a hand on Makoto’s shoulder before he decides to do something stupid. I’m no medical expert, at least not when it comes to treating wounds, but my fighting experience is certainly much higher than Makoto’s, should it come to that. My other hand stealthily moves towards the pocket with my pepper spray, though Mondo isn’t usually one who would attack a girl. Then again, he doesn’t usually insult girls either...  
  
"Guys, guys! Stop it! Kyouko surely didn’t mean to forget about Junko, calm down!" Junko...? What about-  
  
"Oh, and that makes it any better?! You go off ‘investigating’ in a school we’ve been in for weeks without any goddamn reason, there’s nothing to investigate! And then you go forgetting your girlfriend for that kind of pointless shit?! She locked herself in the repository for three fucking hours! WHAT KIND OF A HEARTLESS DETECTIVE BITCH ARE YOU, HUH!" I flinch slightly, so that’s what this was about. I see, I... oh no. Damn it!  
  
"She’s still there...?" I have grown too careless. Our relationship notwithstanding, Junko is a key witness! No, that’s not the issue here. She even tried... she succeeded in committing suicide temporarily, without giving her a reason to before! Makoto nods, I dart off, past a roaring and huffing Mondo. Taka seems to have been alarmed by the commotion as well, Chihiro standing by the corner and watching quietly, tears in his eyes. Could he really... no, that’s not important right now!  
  
...  
  
"Junko? Junko, are you there...?" I’m sure she’s in there, I can hear soft whimpering. The repository is not soundproof, unlike the art room towards the outside. I put my hand on the doorknob and turn it... it really seems to be locked, the door doesn’t even move. How would Junko have a key to this room? I collected all extra keys from the staff room on the first day here. And the master key fits, but it doesn’t let me open the door either! I see. She has to have barricaded the room from within.  
  
"Just... go away..." She sounds weak, her voice hoarse and cracking. At least she’s answering me. That is better than no answer, I suppose. I’d have to get Sakura or some of the others if I wanted to forcefully open this door and that would take time. Time I might not have had, if she had tried something again...  
  
"I’m sorry, Junko. Please, open the door." I awkwardly push against it with all my might, but it’s not use. She must have thrown all the equipment she found in there in front of it. What am I supposed to do in a situation like this? My training never prepared me for anything like it. Neither did my grandfather or my father, my life experience... it’s like I’m staring at a blank page, looking for the answer of some riddle that was never written down!  
  
"Why do you even bother...? Just go away and... make a big happy family with... Makoto or whoever! I’ll stay here forever and… starve or something! Go away...!" I push against the door again, to no avail. I doubt I could even get through if I rammed it with some distance. Hardened clay, judging by the sounds of it. *Sigh* I sit down, with my back against the door. I briefly consider calling for Sakura, but I decide against it. This is my own mess, I suppose. It’s my fault that she ended up throwing a tantrum. I promised... besides, aggravating her by forcefully entering the room doesn’t seem productive and it would be hard to keep a secret like that.  
  
"I... I ‘fucked up’, as Mondo put it. I am aware of that. There is nothing I can say to excuse myself, this was... entirely my fault. I should have told you. Send you a message with the e-Handbook or something, at the very least. I’m not... I’m not used to this sort of thing." In moments like these I realise for the first time what my grandfather has actually done to me, what he has taken from me. Or maybe I never had it to begin with. Maybe Kirigiri Kyouko was always just a Kirigiri, something I used to be proud of. Only now do I realise what the true meaning of being a Kirigiri is. A fundamentally broken and deficient human being...  
  
"You don’t have to pretend... you never really cared for me, right?" A few weeks ago, I may have agreed. I didn’t particularly care about Junko, back then. Not beyond her being ‘evidence’, a key witness. But now... I don’t think that’s how I see it now.  
  
"Let me be brutally honest, if I may." Junko falls silent, not even the occasional sobs continue. I gather myself for a moment, but... I know what I want to say. I’m just not sure how to say it. I was never taught the right words to express myself. "I initially thought of you as evidence I need to procure, nothing more. I saw you as a selfish girl that was nothing but a burden to me, hindering me in the middle of an investigation."  
  
"I knew it! You hate me, you hate me!" There’s some muffled thuds, most likely her beating against the wall or something like that. Still, that’s not all. That’s not it at all...  
  
"Listen to me! I said that I initially thought of you that way, I won’t deny that. But, since we started living together, spending time together... I found myself looking forward to seeing you again. In fact, that was the only thing I have been looking forward to, recently." She falls silent again, I can almost see her pouting face before me. I wonder if she’s blushing right now... I am, almost certainly.  
  
"You don’t mean that. You’re just telling me that to..."  
  
"To stop you from doing something stupid? It was that way the first time, yes. And that’s one of the reasons why I’m here now. But, even if you hadn’t been involved with the incidents leading up to The Tragedy... I’d still have come today. No matter the circumstances, I would have come for you." I know that this must sound cheap and cold-hearted. Anyone could say that. Still, I don’t know how I’m supposed to get my point across...  
  
"You’d do that for anyone. You’re kind-hearted like that..." Me, kind-hearted? I chuckle lightly, it’s not often that anyone said such a thing about me.  
  
"Whatever gives you that impression? No matter who you were to ask, kind-hearted is not a word people would use to describe me. Including myself." I put my hand on the door, I wonder if she’s also leaning against it, right now. A nagging part of my mind asks what it would matter, but I tune it out.  
  
"That’s only because they never got a chance to see it! Even now, when it seems useless, you have been tirelessly working to secure this school. Even if there’s nothing to find, you keep on investigating, for the sake of everyone..." I suppose that’s one way to look at it. I am trying to prevent any more casualties. To the others this seems pointless, but Junko seems to understand more than she usually lets on. I wonder if she figured out what I’m up to...  
  
"Do you plan to stay in there all day now? I already told you I’m sorry, there isn’t much more I can do." I almost want to slap myself, that was awkward and uncalled for. It made me seem like a dog that performed a trick and expects a treat now, not like someone who is genuinely remorseful. Good job, good for nothing Kirigiri. Way to devalue everything you just said. Yet, Junko chuckles slightly in response. There’s some grating noise from the other side, then it opens. Did she move an entire shelf in front of it?! And a few broken busts...  
  
"Sorry, I was being rather childish, I guess... well, who cares? You’re here now, that’s all that matters." Her eyes are slightly red, her cheeks look a bit puffy... even a Kirigiri can recognise what this means. What a Kirigiri can’t do is deal with that. I never learned how, nor can I empathise with it. I never cried much, there never was a purpose to it. Grandfather wouldn’t have cared if I cried and father wasn’t there. Thus, I can’t even understand it from personal experience...  
  
"I’m sorry, something came up in the data lab. An... important security issue I will have to take care of in the following days." Junko questioningly tilts her head to the side, I’m sure she could tell I’m not entirely honest. While it wasn’t technically a lie, it’s obvious that I’m avoiding the actual issue. Comprehension flashes over her face and she grins, there it is...  
  
"Well, I guess I’ll have to forgive you, in that case! It wasn’t that big of a deal, it’s not the first time someone stood me up. I just thought... well, whatever. Do you want to do anything today, or do you have to take care of your security issue now?" There’s subtle hurt in her voice, something I might not even have noticed before. I would have picked up on it and filed the information away for solving some imaginary case, but it wouldn’t have gotten to me, wouldn’t have made me personally feel...  
  
"It can wait. Perhaps... perhaps you could help me, however. There is a certain riddle that I stumbled upon. It might be far-fetched, but do you know anything about computers?" She frowns, probably not the answer she was looking for. Still, after a moment, she genuinely seems to consider it.  
  
"Depends. I know some basics, like... they run on a binary system via electric impulses and such, I know a bit about that. Some stuff about circuits and some of the basics, but that’s pretty much it. You should probably rather talk to Chihiro about stuff like that." Binary system... it’s worth a try.  
  
"The term X in binary... what would it stand for?" There shouldn’t be an X in binary. Binary only knows two values, 0 and 1, hence the name. So, what is an X supposed to mean? Does it have something to do with binary or is it an allusion to something else entirely?  
  
"That’s... a don’t-care term, I think? I had that in a logic class, with truth tables and such. Do you know about those? You assign truth values of true and false to premises and combine them with a conjunction, like ‘and’. If you increase the amount of premises and double the amount of truth values, you get a truth table with all possible combinations of values for the premises. If all premises are true, a sentence that connects all of them via ‘and’ is true as well, otherwise it’s false. You can do similar things with ‘or’, ‘if..., then...’ and so on." Basic logic, I am quite familiar with that.  
  
"Don’t-care terms? I never encountered those while studying logic." I learned a few things about how to secure data from computers and such for my detective work, but I never encountered ‘don’t-care terms’ or such. Probably something irrelevant in computer languages.  
  
"Well, it’s basically what it says. Circuits work somewhat like logic connections. And there are some combinations of ‘premises’ where the outcome doesn’t matter to you. Or a certain outcome would be contradictory. Think you got the premises ‘a’ and another one ‘not a’, the opposite of a, with an output of ‘a and not a’. This can’t happen in reality, obviously, but in theory you can get to such contradictions. It’s basically an unfixed value that you don’t care about or can’t know. It could be 0 or 1 or something else entirely, it doesn't matter. It’s also used for logic with more than two truth values, for example probabilities and such." I see. I never really concerned myself with such logic, since I only care about whether something is true or false. What does this mean, then? That’s for me to figure out. Junko has done her part, though I might as well ask Chihiro some other time as well.  
  
"Thanks for the refresher, that was all I needed." I make a small note in my notebook. What would this mean? ‘Through despair, I found X’. Through despair, I found something unknown? Something I don’t care about? No, unknown makes more sense, especially regarding the ‘truth’ mentioned before. Taken at face value... the writer found ‘the truth of every human being’ and despaired. And in despair, they found something with an unfixed truth value? Hm...  
  
"Um, is it something about the system? I mean, you should probably ask Chihiro about stuff like that. I’m a total amateur when it comes to computers, at least when compared to him." That much is true. Compared to him, all of us are absolute amateurs with computers. This text referred to his development of artificial intelligence, I believe. Through 0s and 1s, he perfectly recreated his own self. And that caused him despair...? I suppose that would be an uncomfortable thought, to some. To imagine that even your sense of morality or your deepest feelings could be reduced to nothing but 0s and 1s...  
  
"I will. Still, thank you. You really helped me out." I hesitantly put my arms around her back. That’s probably what I should have done initially, to provide her emotional support. Now it comes across more like a cheap treat for a stupid dog, ‘you did me a favour, so here’s a treat’. Still, she doesn’t seem to share that perspective. She happily accepts the hug, without any such thoughts, apparently.  
  
"We’ve got to work on your reaction time, I think. You’re supposed to hug your pretend girlfriend after she had a crisis, you got that right, but not that late! I could have found someone else in that time!" She teases me lightly, but it seems that my true intentions came through to her, in spite of my poor communication skills in such matters. That’s a relief...  
  
"Whoever said you’re my pretend girlfriend? In case you haven’t noticed, we... appear to be in a real relationship. Unless you refuse?" I ask her with a straight face, but even I can’t keep it as she fidgets around in my arms, apparently looking for some sort of escape. Oh no, after putting me through that, there’s no way I’d let you get off the hook, just like that.  
  
"W-, wait... I thought you and Makoto..." She trails off, did it seem that way?  
  
"I can assure you that I was never interested in Makoto, in such a way." I suppose he is cute, but I rarely interacted with him, outside of some short interviews regarding my cases. I have barely done anything other than investigating, ever since I came to this school. There certainly was no lack of cases, quite the opposite.  
  
"I see... um, are you sure about this? You’d really..." I shut her up with a light kiss. In spite of the dominant gesture, there is a soft question on my lips, one I don’t quite dare to put into words. Her lips are so much softer than my own, just like her hair. After a bit I pull back, she responds in kind. Closing her heavenly blue eyes, she leans forward, moving her lips onto mine. It is... a strange feeling, this. I never had time to think about what this would be like, wanting to feel another human being...  
  
"I am serious. Absolutely serious. If... if you would have me. There is something I need to show you first. I’m sorry for keeping this from you, but..." I take a step back, putting my left hand on the clasp of my right glove. I hesitate for a moment, Junko curiously looking at me. This is so embarrassing... I slowly open and pull off my glove, revealing the malformed skin underneath. A reddish purple colour, ugly protrusions of damaged skin, web-like cracks on the surface of it...  
  
"Oh... h-how did that...?" She stammers, looking shocked at my hand. I remove my other glove, revealing similar scars. I’m almost surprised that she didn’t run away screaming, it looks disgusting. Inhumane. Monstrous. I’ve heard it all before. Another reason why Kirigiri Kyouko will never enter a relationship. I haven’t even shown this to my father since I came here, nor anyone else. The only people who ever saw it are my grandfather and the doctor who treated the injury, as far as I’m aware. And they were rightfully disgusted by it. The doctor was professional enough not to voice his disgust and only talked about the medical reality of my wounds and such, but I could see it in his eyes. Grandfather was... not so reserved.  
  
"I was investigating a house that should have been empty. Perhaps the suspect tried to get rid of evidence, perhaps he wanted to scam the insurance, perhaps it was a genuine accident. He somehow set fire to his house that day. I was too focused on gathering evidence, ignoring the fire until the last moment to save anything I could find. Burning wooden beams fell down and blocked the window I had planned to escape through. It was either moving the beams aside, running through the burning hallways or suffocating. Not a very difficult choice. I tried to do so with a fire-fork, but the beams slipped towards me and I needed to protect my body and face." She gently reaches out for my hands, I don’t pull them back, in spite of my instincts to do so.  
  
"That’s terrible... you must have a terrifying fear of fire." Softly brushing over the scarred flesh, she caresses it. I barely even feel her touch in some places, others are far too sensitive. Her warmth, her smooth pale skin on the upper side, her soft pink palm below... the difference couldn’t become any more apparent.  
  
"Actually, no, strange as that might seem. I’m hardly more scared of fire now than I was before all of that. What did scare me, however... it was the crash that followed my escape. Just behind me, part of the building must have collapsed. I had nightmares about that... that uncertain crash behind me, for years. I dreamt it was coming closer and closer, until... I’m sorry, that must seem quite silly." Just thinking back on it makes me break out in a cold sweat. It wasn’t death itself that scared me, but that sound, that uncertainty… it is silly. It wasn’t anything supernatural, but still...  
  
"We can be afraid of the silliest things, Kyouko. Hina is scared to death of deep water, in spite of being the Ultimate Swimmer. Leon is afraid of his own talent, Mondo of his former secret. Sayaka feared nothing more than losing the transient scrap of fame she accrued. People fear the silliest things... don’t we?" Junko gently continues to stroke my hands, as if to allay my fears. I wonder what she might fear... but she’s right, fear is often quite silly. The basic instinct is a reasonable mechanism for survival, but the concrete manifestations are often harmless and silly to anyone else.  
  
"I know. I probably should have told you sooner... before hurting you like this. I will be on my way now." That should settle it. There is no way for me to enter a relationship, after all. No one would want a relationship with someone like me. Grandfather said as much, the only way I would ever find a husband would be an arranged marriage.  
  
"I think it’s kind of cute! Um, sorry, that’s probably really inappropriate... but that one here kind of looks like a bunny, right? Look, here are the ears, there’s the face and..." She’s staring at it intently... what?! I haven’t felt so startled since... I can’t remember the last time someone’s reaction shocked me this much. Her eyes are sparkling as she brings my hands closer to her face, tracing the scars. I can feel the heat rising to my face... "Even little paws! That’s so cute!"  
  
"Cute...?" I feel completely stunned, staring at my own hands. Junko is trailing even more scars, calling them cute and joking about naming them... at least I hope she’s joking. That would go a bit too far, I think. Still, as she talks more and more about it, I can almost see it myself. One of them really looks a little bit like a bunny, another one like a snake moving up my arm, that one like a flower. With a lot of imagination, at least. I never really examined them, at least not like this. I only saw a hated reminder of my failures in them...  
  
"Yep, they’re adorable! It’s terrible how you got them and it was most likely unbearably painful... but think of them as a cool tattoo or something. Well, I like them..." As if to prove it, she shyly presses a kiss on the back of each hand... her hot breath all over my hands... and rubs these monstrous hands against her soft and flawless cheeks. It makes no sense to me. This isn’t... grandfather was wrong. He probably only tried to manipulate me, to make me a better pawn than my father. Maybe he even... he wouldn’t have done that. ... Would he?  
  
"You... you don’t hate me?" I almost feel like she’s going to call them disgusting and clean her mouth any second, but it doesn’t come. She just offers me the most genuine and blinding smile I ever saw on anyone’s face...  
  
"Why would I hate you? You saved my life, oh knight in shining armour! Hehehe, not that it was only that. I think you’re cute in general, you know? You seem cold and uncaring, but you’re really soft and sweet, under the act." I’m not sure if I can agree with that assessment. As a detective, I have certainly done things I’m not proud of. We just do our job, we aren’t champions of justice. While we won’t outright support evil, our work often gets used for it regardless. And that pragmatism might be the exact reason why my grandfather turned out no better than a villain.  
  
"And I think you’re a lot more vulpine and Janus-faced than you look, behind the cute and innocent act." I show her a mischievous smile, she seems somewhat unsure about how to take that. She certainly isn’t just some innocent little girl, I’m not naive enough to believe that. One doesn’t successfully initiate a revolution with good intentions alone. And she has proven as much, she callously used secret information to manipulate the Reserve Course, heedless of consequences. Which one is it, I wonder? The ruthless idealist or the analytical warlord with a personal vendetta against Hope’s Peak Academy? I believe in the former, but is it possible...  
  
"Geez... that was supposed to be a compliment, you know?! I didn’t mean to insult you..." I take some of her hair in my hands, it’s every bit as soft and silky as I imagined. Removing her hair bands, I smooth it down a bit. It’s surprisingly good at adapting to its new shape, without feeling at all like it was full of hair gel. The title Ultimate Fashionista certainly isn’t just for show.  
  
"Who said that I wasn’t giving you a compliment? I don’t mind a bit of deceit and such. Was Janus not the keeper of mysteries? And what would a detective be, without mysteries?" At this her eyes light up, cheesy as it may have been. I’m... not good at this sort of thing, I can’t deny that.  
  
"Then you’re asking for my blessing for a new beginning, mortal? Very well, you shall have it!" Junko strikes a royal looking pose, sticking her chest out proudly in a display of false arrogance. As soon as I pet her head, she deflates like a balloon, turning red herself. This... isn’t so bad. It’s nice, even if it feels silly.  
  
„To a new beginning, then. Here, take this. I have another one, so don’t worry." I give her my own room key. She seems to take it as a gift of trust, not a cheap gesture. I still hold the master key, but she doesn’t complain. Instead, she seems genuinely happy.  
  
…  
  
After spending a few pleasant hours with Junko, just relaxing and talking about anything and everything, I’m back to investigating. To call her sophisticated would be an understatement. Whether it’s obscure topics like ancient mythologies and philosophies or more relevant topics like modern history and science, she always had something to add to my own pool of knowledge, without seeming arrogant and insufferable about it like Byakuya would. It was... enlightening, in a way.  
  
Still, the investigation has to go on. Back at the data lab, I replay the video of the masked person again. They are impossible to recognise, even their height and stature don’t match anyone. I could discern their height and such relative to their surroundings, but that doesn’t seem to help. The only people who are out of the question would be Hifumi, Mondo and Sakura because of their broadness or size. Since that doesn’t help me, I will have to solve another mystery first. How did they move around without being seen on the cameras? That should help with cornering the suspect.  
  
And the question is rather easy to answer. The ventilation shafts above the ceiling. By using those, anyone could move around the school without being seen. Luckily they aren’t accessible from the outside, but within the school, it should be possible to get almost anywhere, through there. The suspect has to be rather athletic to enter and leave them without help. Carrying around a ladder or something like that would cause a lot of noise in there, noise the cameras should have picked up.  
  
I see. That is a good theory, one I will have to try out for myself. Moving around unseen could be helpful for my own investigation as well. If I vanish from the shaft in the data lab for a while, even Monokuma shouldn’t notice. Carefully, I remove the cover and climb in. There isn’t any dust in the shaft, the automated cleaning still seems to work. Good. I slowly crawl through the shaft, there’s emergency lighting, even in here. I push aside another cover, something to cancel out any noises. This was locked when I initially checked the vents, someone must have opened it. It closes behind me again. Past this, there are various junctions in here.  
  
If I remember the layout of the school correctly, this junction should lead to... the headmaster’s room! This is perfect. A secret way to the headmaster’s room. If Junko distracts him and I move in from here... he will have no way to know in advance. He won’t have time to hide anything and him locking his room won’t pose a problem either. If I used the master key, he would have found out afterwards via his terminal. But, with this... he’s currently there, but I’m glad about the opportunity this will present in the future.  
  
I crawl back through the shaft after observing for a while, he was only reading some books, nothing interesting happened. I need to check the vents on the other floors. And then... I need to use this to track the mastermind. Paint... I could try using paint and searching the rooms of everyone during breakfast for remaining paint on clothes and such. Unlikely to succeed, but it’s worth a try. It will probably rather deter the mastermind from using the vents altogether, but that’s also a desirable outcome.  
  
After getting some colourful powder that’s as good as impossible to rinse out from the art room and placing it strategically, I consider more information I need to pass around to catch the mastermind’s attention and try to force them into the vents. That should be easy enough.  
  
…  
  
It’s done. All the preparations are done. I go through the vents the very next morning, as soon as Junko left my room. The note in my own room was gone as well, just like the one in the changing room of the bathhouse. No surprise there. I start with the room right next to mine, Makoto’s. It’s very plain, there’s no indication at all that this room could belongs to the Ultimate Lucky Student. There doesn’t seem to be anything suspicious... wait. How...  
  
Paint. Weak traces of paint on the bathroom door. I try to open it, but it won’t budge. The bathroom door can only be locked from the inside, if I’m not mistaken. Is he still inside? I will check the cameras later. I quickly get out of my room and put some more paint on the vent in Makoto’s room. If he uses this vent, I will know tomorrow, just like everyone else. This will be quite enlightening, I believe. Finding the one sneaking through the school, unseen unless they want to be seen...  
  
The other rooms are devoid of paint, nor can I find the costume the suspect wore. Makoto as a suspect... I wouldn’t have believed it, just yesterday. The evidence definitely points at him, so far. Could that really be? If he locked his bathroom without anyone being inside of it... that could be where he hides the costume. Makoto, the mastermind?! I wrote off the very thought as silly and I still can’t believe it, but... I need more evidence.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Your next line will be..."
> 
> It turns out the mastermind was only messing around with Kyouko since the very beginning. But perhaps they were biting off more than they could chew with their latest hints and revealing their accomplice. Armed with new information, can Kyouko finally turn the tables on the elusive mastermind?

Makoto is the one who wore the strange costume. All evidence points towards it. A few more night have passed, the paint was blurred. Only at his vent, every morning... I don’t like this. Was it really him? Or is the mastermind a step ahead of me, yet again? Are they framing Makoto? Yes, that’s the most likely explanation, I believe. I looked at the recordings again, no further hints. If it wasn’t Makoto... who was it? Who is trying to frame him?  
  
It’s useless, I need another method. It’s evening already, I need a better plan. Since there are no cameras in the vents... I need to stay there over night. I might be able to confront the suspect directly, it was bound to happen sooner or later regardless. I have my pepper spray, it should be enough to protect me. While the mask should help somewhat, it’s not a gas mask, from what I can tell. It should distract them long enough to make my escape, if I need to. If I saw where they came from once, it shouldn’t be a problem to find out who it was.  
  
"Junko... I will not be here tonight, if you don’t mind." She was reading some books from the library, looking up surprised. I suppose it is strange, but it’s for work. She probably won’t protest too much, she’s been fairly agreeable.  
  
"You better not be cheating, Kirigiri!" She calls with false outrage, I can’t help smiling. Still, I won’t tease her about this. I do believe faithfulness is important.  
  
"I would never. You have my word." There is no one else I would even be interested in. Makoto is nice, but he can’t keep me engaged for long. I don’t think I have to list the complaints I have about Byakuya. I could go on and on, but most people here aren’t particularly interesting to me. "Geez, no need to get all serious, you’re making me flustered! Still... stay safe." I nod, this might be it. Tonight, I will catch the person who was sneaking around the school.  
  
...  
  
3 a.m., only four more hours until night time ends. I’m positioned in the vents, just around the corner from the entrance to Makoto’s room. He has been sleeping calmly for almost five hours already, from what I can tell. His light snorting is an annoying distraction since I removed the noise cover, it makes me feel tired as well... I drank enough coffee to stay up all night. That has to be enough. Meanwhile, Junko is probably curled up under the warm blankets... I almost envy her.  
  
I went through the note they left me a couple more times, but I don’t feel like it will help me. I need more puzzle pieces first. I found a few more about Class 77-B and their situation, prior to The Tragedy... it almost feels like the talent scouts intentionally picked some of the most messed up people and threw them into a class together. Maybe the result of that was certain the moment they stepped into Hope’s Peak Academy and met each other. There was no visible turning point, for most of them. The only suspicious thing was that the class kept together much more closely, after Junko interacted with them. The same was observed with the Reserve Course and our class, she seems to have a talent for that. Still, that’s the opposite of what despair does to people.  
  
And that was also what ended up drawing attention to her, the wrong kind of attention. The Steering Committee wanted to investigate her, which prompted Matsuda into action. With their approval, he removed Junko’s memory somehow, leaving her in a rather confused daze for a few weeks, one she seems to have mostly recovered from, thankfully. He was certainly involved in The Tragedy, most likely on the side of the Ultimate Despair. As soon as the Steering Committee started investigating him, they started dropping like flies. There has to be a connection.  
  
In that case... was there anyone involved with him? I can think of two people. Junko and Chihiro. The former supposedly his friend, the latter a co-worker on a certain project called the Neo World Program. Yet again, all roads lead to Rome. It ties back into Chihiro, just like the note I found. Is this another deception? My train of thought gets interrupted by a quiet noise. Someone just pushed aside the noise cover of their vent and it certainly wasn’t Makoto...  
  
I stare into the dimly lid red corridor, barely a metre broad and high. They came from around the corner, cutting the number of suspects in half. They notice me, but they still come closer. Closer and closer... until there are only around three meters between us. We stare at each other, they pull out a knife... we just continue to stare at each other. Neither of us makes a move. It seems quite obvious who our culprit is, their mask won’t protect their identity from me.  
  
"Well, well, Ikusaba Mukuro. Fancy meeting you here." They visibly flinch at my cold tone. The only other person who might come from that direction would be Leon, Hiro is too tall. I’m positive that it is her, I suspected her for a while. Cleaning weapons in her room most of the time... even for the Ultimate Soldier, that is excessive. She set it up to look like that was the case, while secretly sneaking around, though I don’t know how she simulated such movements in her room. Some sort of machine? Regardless, that should solve the mysteries within the school neatly.  
  
"Looks like you caught me, Kirigiri." She pulls of her mask, I can’t hide a little triumphant smirk. I was suspicious of her for a while, but I never really got around to investigating her properly. And here we are now, with a confirmed...  
  
"You are... what exactly? The henchman in the little game of the mastermind?" That’s the only question left. The girl in front of me is either the mastermind or the voluntary accomplice. And I don’t think she has the smarts for the former. She might not be stupid, but I’m fairly certain she’s no genius either.  
  
"I’m... Ultimate Despair. Second in command, right hand of the mastermind. Ikusaba Mukuro, at your service." Second in command... that seems about right. She’s only good at following orders, from what I observed so far. She never seemed to know what to do unless someone told her.  
  
"Well. I must admit, I wasn’t expecting you to just come out and admit it. Does that mean you plan to kill me now?" She blinks once, twice, seemingly confused.  
  
"Kill you...? Um, no, not at all! I was just tasked with... framing Makoto until I caught your attention. Yes, that’s it." Caught my attention?  
  
"You are telling me that this was all part of your plan?" She vigorously shakes her head. I... I’m not sure how to interpret any of this.  
  
"Come to my room, if you want. This is a bit... uncomfortable, right?" While I certainly would agree with that notion... this seems like a trap.  
  
"Do you take me for an idiot?" She seems out of her depth for a moment, then she makes a face as if she just remembered something important.  
  
"You think I would kill you in my room, right? That would be pretty stupid, honestly. My... the mastermind would mock me endlessly for such a stupid plan. Luckily, they left me a script. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done so here and now. Your pepper spray isn’t much of a threat and I have this." She pulls out... a gun? Now I feel stupid. With that, she would barely have to know how to aim to kill me in this confined space. And no one would hear, unless someone happened to leave their room right as it happens. In fact, it might take days for anyone to find a corpse up here...  
  
"You just want to... talk?" She nods, I’m not sure if I should trust her. Then again, assuming that is a real gun, there is no way she wouldn’t have some bullets. I wouldn’t even be surprised if she managed to make bullets from whatever she found in the school.  
  
"I’m just following orders." She crawls backwards with practised ease, much faster than even I could and I have quite a bit of practice myself. If she wanted to kill me, she could have done so much sooner. At the major junction, she turns around and crawls towards her room, at the end of the hallway to the left. I write down a quick note about where I’m headed and throw it into my room, just in case. Junko still sleeps soundly, I return into the vent and follow Mukuro to her room.  
  
"That is... quite the collection you have here." There are stacks upon stacks of guns and boxes with ammunition, perfectly positioned in the blind spots of the camera. On the walls are swords, spears and other melee weapons. Still, guns weren’t supposed to be here, only at the shooting range, in the other building. It would appear that Mukuro took them before The Tragedy, unless they somehow get deliveries in here.  
  
"We have a lot more weapons, even some turrets to install later on. As soon as you’re done with your little game, we will get to work on the preparations." She nonchalantly says so as she sits down on her bed, those are... worrying news.  
  
"You say that as if the outcome of the game didn’t matter." She shrugs, pushing some hair out of her face. Maybe they think I can’t win.  
  
"This game is... unnecessary. I don’t understand why we bother with it. We have already won. I don’t understand why my... commander wants to do this. Sure, to estimate your abilities, but that shouldn’t take this much time. Beyond that..." To estimate my abilities? This was all... I see. I don’t know what the mastermind is planning, but I have walked right into their trap by participating in earnest. This was all a test to measure my talent, it would appear. But, what for?  
  
"Your commander... tell me about them." That was not the first word that came to her mind, it would seem. She hesitated. Her tone indicated a certain fondness. Her lover? Her sibling? Her... father? Don’t tell me my father is also...!  
  
"What is there to tell? My commander is perfect. Serving them is more than I deserve. There is nothing more to say." It would be too easy to just get information out of her, I suppose. Even if this was a trap, it’s too late to pull out. I need to find the mastermind, no matter what.  
  
"Is it Byakuya?" He would be... fitting, I suppose. Mukuro seems very submissive towards her ‘commander’, someone with an ego like Byakuya would demand such behaviour from his subordinates. And, if despair was his goal... he must be quite pleased with the result of The Tragedy. The Togami family, annihilated. The world, destroyed. Would someone as materialistic as Byakuya be interested in such a thing, however?  
  
"I am not allowed to give away any information about my commander, I’m sorry..." Too bad. Still, I wouldn’t be here if there was no purpose to it. It’s another turn of the game and there have to be hints to find, here.  
  
"What would you have done if I had asked you to apprehend the mastermind? Assuming I got the right one." She shrugs, seemingly not very fazed by that possibility.  
  
"There’s no way you would have given me the right name, so I wouldn’t mind apprehending them on your order." Quite confident. Almost seems like cult behaviour, this unwavering fanaticism.  
  
"What do you base this assumption on? Do you think I’m a fool?" Maybe she is just trying to intimidate me. Make my own confidence waver to help her master.  
  
"Oh, no, of course not! It’s just… the script. I’m supposed to give it to you, look for yourself." She... hm. From the desk, Mukuro brings me a thick book. This is a script? What for? "Take a look. I know it by heart, after all."  
  
"Very well..." I open up the book, it’s heavy in my hands. It is rather an instruction manual than a script. One that details... just about everything I did since we locked the main gate. Up to the point of me waiting in the ventilation shaft for Mukuro, with today’s date and time, even our dialogue until entering the room. She is a very fast writer, at least that would be my assumptions. If the book stopped here, in the present. A strange unpleasant feeling overcomes me as I turn to the next page. It certainly isn’t empty...  
  
Putting notes in the storage room on the shelf with the blankets, putting notes in the teacher’s office, fake flower 7 from the right, putting notes in the headmaster’s office... telling Touko, Celeste and Byakuya... how? I turn them, page for page, this is... impossible. This details my plans up until now, as well as plans I haven’t even come up with yet! Immediate and future plans, some have numbers assigned to them, others are simply written down, a few dialogues in between, namely Mukuro’s lines. Perfect answers to my inquiries, it can’t be real. I... I don’t understand this, none of this!  
  
"That is the script that was provided to me. The numbers are probability events that may or may not happen at the given time and date. In the grand scheme of things, they make no difference, however. You will still arrive at the same conclusion. Because that is what my commander foretold." Sweat gathers on my forehead as I turn to the last page. I, I can’t turn it... yet, a detective must turn it. My hands feel clammy and cold, somehow. I must turn it, I must turn it...  
  
‘Kirigiri Kyouko fails to catch the mastermind yet again. After accusing the wrong person, nothing stands in the way of the game of mutual killing. Praise despair as the final mystery opens the door to yet another mystery! May you also find relief in that despair.’ There is a certain finality in this last single paragraph, on the last page... I drop the book. This is... a lie, a joke. There is no way to predict the actions of a single person so perfectly! Once… once I take a closer look at it later, it will all fall apart! It has to! It’s impossible, absolutely impossible!  
  
"You’re... kidding me. This isn’t possible! Who wrote this, how?!" I scream hysterically, I am aware. I need to calm down... this isn’t detective work, at this point. This is a witch hunt. I am up against magic or demons, this can’t be real! None of this can be real! This is... just a nightmare, right?  
  
"The true Ultimate Despair, my commander. With a talent like this, it’s no surprise how easily the world fell. As for what this talent entails... you may call its owner the Ultimate Analyst." I already read this, her response... there couldn’t be such a thing! It’s ridiculous! You can’t analyse a human being like this, not to this degree! No matter how much data you have on someone, there is no way they will act so predictably! Yet, the evidence for it lies on the floor in front of me. Mukuro slowly picks it up, caressing the back of the book gently...  
  
"Why would you... be ordered to invalidate the script, then? Why would the mastermind give you such an elaborate script with an order that makes all future orders contained in it invalid?!" Mukuro stares at me with empty eyes and shrugs, she’s just a soldier... she’s just following orders.  
  
"It’s not my place to understand everything they do, I don’t need to. I only need to execute their orders. Besides, this suits me just fine. If you skip the boring investigation nonsense they love so much, the game will end sooner. Then I can freely talk to them again... I would prefer it if you skipped the useless intermediary steps."I grit my teeth and clench my fists, but... there is nothing I can do here. Picking a fight with Mukuro would be suicide.  
  
"What now? You... you will not obstruct me, is that right?" I eye her suspiciously, that was what I was promised. Why would the mastermind not simply order her to kill me? Why are we all still alive? Is it a race against time? Will they do it as soon as the broadcast is ready?  
  
"I will do no such thing. My orders are written in the script, I know it by heart. Every passage, every step, every order. And I shall execute them. That is all I will do. Unless my commander gives me another order, that is. And we haven’t spoken since the script came into effect..." Assuming she tells the truth, she hasn’t openly talked to the mastermind since... since the beginning of this game.  
  
"To make it clear... you haven’t received any orders since the beginning of the game?" I incredulously stare at her, that is... I feel tempted to say impossible. But one glance at the book is all it takes to remind me that it is quite possible. I didn’t talk about my plans with anyone, nor did I pick obvious hiding places. Not only that, they even knew who I would approach next. That is... more than worrisome. Mukuro stares at me like a dead fish, she has that look...  
  
"No... no, I haven’t received any orders since then. I am to give you the script, afterwards I will only distribute more clues at set times and carry out any other tasks that were given to me." Tasks that are written down in the book she holds out to me. Why...? I don’t understand this! The mastermind has a supposedly perfect script that predicts my failure, yet they give it to me?! What kind of presumptuous fool is the mastermind?! Do they think they can predict how I would act even after reading the script? I will show that Ultimate Analyst...!  
  
"That concludes our business for tonight, I assume?" She simply nods, still staring like a dead fish. She is probably dead already, on the inside. She’s with the Ultimate Despair, after all.  
  
"Yes. That was all, for today." I hesitantly take the book, it feels heavier than ever before. I almost drop it again, this is forbidden knowledge. A spell to trap me. I can feel it with an absolute certainty, this is not detective work. This is the hunt for a witch. Ultimate Analyst? Don’t make me laugh! No matter how good one could be at analysing, they couldn’t be this good. They didn’t have enough encounters with me to even gather the needed information to analyse my actions, no one did. No, this can’t be natural. What can a detective do against a witch...?  
  
"You will regret this, Mukuro. I hope you are aware of that." Somehow, I feel... strange. Somewhere between panic and absolute calmness. No, I couldn’t call myself a detective if I got scared off by some pretend magic. Mukuro moving around in the school unseen also seemed like magic, until I saw through her use of the vents. If my opponent is a witch, then I only need to rip away the veil they use to conceal their tricks…!  
  
"I follow my orders. That’s not something I would ever regret, it’s simply... my nature. A soldier exists to carry out orders, without question." I climb into the vent, there doesn’t seem to be anything more to gain here. I will search her room again when she isn’t here, but I have a feeling that it will be pointless. Still, I need to look through every room again, much more closely. Privacy should have never been a concern for me, especially after the initial encounter with Monokuma. To think that they had gathered weapons, right under our noses...  
  
I leave the ‘script’ in the vent of the bathroom and enter my own room again, careful not to make a sound. The note I left still lies where I let it fall, untouched. Good. I rip it apart and flush it down the toilet. No reason to needlessly worry Junko, after all. As I leave the bathroom, her soft snoring greets me. I initially thought of it as annoying, but currently it feels soothing and familiar, like coming home after work. I suppose that isn’t too far off.  
  
"Mh... *Yaaaaawn* Oh, hey, Kyouko... is it morning already?" I look at the clock, 4 a.m., there’s still a few hours until the morning announcement.  
  
"No, I just came back. I solved the issue, for now." At least one of the issues. The identity of one of the three suspects, even if it was handed to me all too readily.  
  
…  
  
"Kyouko... you should get up. Aren’t you going to check the data lab today or whatever it is you usually do? You can’t just sleep the entire day away..." Junko asks me with a soft voice, gently stroking my cheeks. She tried not to wake me earlier when she went to breakfast, silently getting dressed and sneaking out. She came back once with breakfast for me, but I pretended to be asleep, so she left it on the table. Now it should be... I look at the clock, it’s already 4 p.m., huh? I wasn’t really sleeping most of the time... I just read the ‘script’. Days of planning, various tricks I thought of to catch the mastermind, others I would have probably thought of next, all smashed to pieces and useless. Indeed, I would have gotten the wrong mastermind, if I had followed this trail.  
  
"I’m sorry, I stayed up late." That’s an excuse I usually wouldn’t use. Even if I stayed up the entire night, I still stood up and went to school at the same time as always. But today, I just felt so tired and drained, overwhelmed by everything... what’s the point of investigating, if the mastermind is five steps ahead of my final conclusion already? I just want to stay in bed some more, letting Junko play with my hair a little. I remove my gloves and pull her down to my bed, her hair seemingly struggling in a fight with gravity to keep its shape.  
  
"Wh-?! Hey, hey, what are you doing?! Gee, Kyouko, stop it..." She turns red as I hug her, it feels good, comforting... it’s like a reason to keep going, in spite of everything that happened. Even if Mukuro, Sakura and Mondo were with the mastermind, this feeling alone would be enough to convince me to keep going. I don’t know if I could have gone on as a detective, after yesterday. However, I’m not just a detective now, I’m not just a Kirigiri. I’m Kyouko.  
  
"You could use some rest as well. I’m not going to let you go until... until..." *Yawn* I simply snuggle up to her, something has to be wrong with me, completely wrong. I would never do something like this, and yet... and yet, it’s the only thing that keeps me going now. The silky feeling of her puffy hair, her smooth cheek against my own, her delightful blush...  
  
"Since when have you started being so affectionate? Not that I mind..." She closes her eyes with a happy sigh, I feel so light, as if all the worries from this morning wouldn’t even exist. As if the world outside hadn’t collapsed, as if everything was still as always. Who knows, maybe if we opened the doors... hah. What silly nonsense. I guess I can finally see why people were so fascinated with idols. Even if Junko wasn’t the Ultimate Idol, she certainly was an idol for many.  
  
"I was just... re-evaluating certain things. And I found that certain values are more important than others." Junko looks surprised for a moment, then all of her tension leaves her and she just lets herself fall on top of me. Light as a feather. A normal person could never have a moment like this with an idol, but... if their life was as dreary and lonely as mine, I can understand why the shining smile of these idols meant so much to them. I thought it silly, but I was the silly one, to not even notice the hole in my own life...  
  
"Oh, is this the point where we get into a deep philosophical discussion about the value of human life~? Or do you keep it to yourself, as always?" It’s my turn to grin. Having the initiative isn’t too bad either, though I think I prefer it when she takes it. I quickly roll us around, Junko shrieks for a moment, her soft hair spreading out around her head like a halo. I’m on top of her, both of her hands pinned down, my face only inches from hers… my hair falls around us like a veil.  
  
„Kyouko, are you... oh. Oh, I’m sorry!" My whole body freezes over as I hear my father, then I see him through my hair, awkwardly standing at the door, seemingly as frozen as I. Junko turns a furious shade of red, I... I scramble off the bed, belatedly, almost falling to the floor. An awkward silence governs the room, it seems like Junko forgot to lock the door. Forgot? It was daytime, so there wasn’t much of a reason. No, there is, but she doesn’t know that. I allowed her to run around outside, all day, without...  
  
„Father. What brings you here?" I do my best to ignore the fact that I’m still in my pyjamas, so does father. He seems to be looking for an escape, more than anything else.  
  
„I just... I was wondering if you were feeling well. Junko told us that you wanted to stay in bed, so I... I’m sorry, I should have knocked!" He awkwardly leaves the room, closing the door behind him. My heart is hammering against my chest as I look over at Junko, but I soon find myself breaking into a little grin. Seeing her so embarrassed is kind of adorable and I rarely manage to embarrass her for real. I should probably visit father after getting dressed, however.  
  
„I’m sorry for that interruption, should we pick up where we left off?" Junko shrieks as I playfully tackle her on the bed again, laughing. Teasing her is also fun. So many unexpected things are just pure unadulterated fun, with her. I wonder if that’s what it’s like, love? I never cared for such things, but after such a short while, it already feels... irreplaceable. Even her teasing which only annoyed me initially, her personality, all of it is so...  
  
„Maybe later. I don’t want you to become a NEET or lazy college student somewhere down the line. You’ve got to get up and do something to win my affections!" Pretending to be indignant and haughty, she puffs her cheeks and looks away. I suppose I do have to get up, after all.  
  
„Wouldn’t you support me if that happened, darling?" I delight in her embarrassment as I get up, preparing to get dressed. It’s just... special. I don’t think I’d feel this way with anyone else. Being with her makes me feel complete in a way I never did before. She fills the gaping hole that was once a Kirigiri. I never knew what I didn’t have, what I had missed out on, what had been stolen from me. I am Kyouko, I’m not just a Kirigiri! „I will be back later. You can find me in the data lab or the headmaster’s room, presumably. Don’t hesitate to come, I wouldn’t want to keep you waiting again."  
  
„Geez, pushing the responsibility on me? Well, fine. I’ll make sure that you don’t just lose yourself in work again, as you tend to do." I smirk slightly as I leave the room and a pouting Junko. I’ll definitely come back. This is my... home. Home. Such a simple word, a word I never truly understood. When I came home after going to school or doing detective work... that’s all home was for me. The Kirigiri mansion. But now I understand how empty and lacking that definition of home was, just like a Kirigiri. Empty and lacking...  
  
„Father. What is it?" I stare at him, a few steps down the hallway, nervously walking up and down. He jerks slightly as I call to him, then he turns towards me with a somewhat guilty expression. He should feel that way for interrupting such a wonderful experience. Then again, that was hardly the last one. Just fooling around with her like that is enough of an incentive not to spend too much time ‘at work’, without a doubt.  
  
„It... it’s nothing. I’m happy for you, I suppose." Not if his expression or tone are anything to go by. I suspiciously look at him, there’s clearly something troubling him about our relationship. That is what it is now, after all. A relationship. Before I even noticed it myself, it became a relationship, more than just a tenuous understanding or an act to keep the peace. In retrospective, I’m happy with how things progressed, at least in this regard.  
  
„You don’t seem very happy. Are you worried that she had connections to the Ultimate Despair? I thought her name was cleared by the thorough investigation of Otonashi Ryouko, or do you have some evidence against her?" Father looks somewhat shocked, lifting his hands in a placating gesture. It would require very hard evidence to accuse her of anything, after all that happened while she was incapacitated. Evidence that most likely doesn’t exist.  
  
„No, no, of course not. The investigation is over, after all. I was just worried, since she and I had our... differences. While I don’t think it would fit her character, I was worried she might try to take revenge on me... through you. I don’t remember you getting along with her before either, though I admittedly don’t know very much about you. I didn’t even know you were... well, I can’t imagine that old bastard knew either." Grandfather... he would probably beat the living daylights out of me, if he knew of my relationship with Junko.  
  
„I’m not scared of a toothless old man. Whatever he would try to gather on me, I already have three times that against him. He wouldn’t risk the Kirigiri name." Or maybe he would. Suffice to say, I have no stakes in this battle. Let him dig out whatever he wants to, if he goes for mutually assured destruction, he will find himself the only one destroyed. I have the recordings of his admissions. I made sure to copy all evidence on CDs, Monokuma didn’t even try to stop me.  
  
„He’s a cunning old man. If he can’t go after you, he’ll go after her. I... I just thought I’d let you know." I’m aware. That would be his next attempt, just how he did it with my father. However, I will be prepared. Worst case... would I be banished from the family? Would he try to ruin Junko’s career? That’s... I should probably tell her. I should have told her before, but it didn’t even cross my mind. I mostly suppressed any thoughts of him, after finding out about his past activities.  
  
„I will be careful, thanks for the warning. I’m sorry for worrying you as well, I’m not really sick or anything. I was up rather late last night and caught up on sleep, that is all. I will check the data lab soon." I completely neglected this today, that was not a wise decision. What if the Ultimate Despair had chosen this day to launch an attack, whether from the inside or the outside? But... does it even make a difference? I must sleep and they could just as well attack at night. No, it makes no difference regardless...  
  
„I wouldn’t worry about it so much. It’s fine, even if you don’t check it every day. It’s pretty unlikely that anyone would get in without using some heavy explosives, which we would notice right away. I rather left this responsibility to you because... I was worried about you, to be honest." I answer father’s concerned look with a cold one. He seems to believe that we are safe, in here. Of course he would. Everyone seems to think so. Why hasn’t the Ultimate Despair attacked yet? The others don’t even seem to ask themselves that, they just live on in their own little world, happy to spend one last day in happiness, on the way to the slaughter.  
  
„In other words, you were worried that losing against the mastermind was too much for me, so you tried to offer me a distraction to stop me from worrying about that." His method was rather clever, I will have to give him that. He knew exactly how to keep me busy, though he apparently didn’t know about the mastermind. That could obviously be an act, but I feel inclined to believe it. Perhaps I underestimated him, if he knew how to manipulate me so well.  
  
„Guilty as charged, I’m afraid. The Ultimate Despair seems to have no further interest in this place. Even if they were to force themselves in here... we would realise it soon enough, without you telling us. Worrying about it is rather pointless, since we’d be dead the moment they put their mind to it." He has considered it, at least. But I can’t really deny his statements either. Sakura is strong, so is Mukuro, but even if the latter wasn’t already collaborating with the mastermind, we’d still be 17 against an army with advanced weaponry, holed up in a school that makes for an easy target...  
  
„You seem rather sure of that." Either that... or he’s given up. Would that be wrong? It is a hopeless situation. Even if all of us were training to the point of being half as good as Mukuro, assuming that’s even possible... it’s pointless. We’re at the mercy of the mastermind.  
  
„Oh, sorry, didn’t mean to bother you... I was just on my way to the dining hall, don’t mind me~" Junko leaving my room interrupts our discussion for a moment, though I’m grateful for that. The discussion was getting rather glum, after all. At the very least father has given up, in the worst case he is the one pulling the strings.  
  
„I think I will be on my way as well. Data lab and such." It would be time for new clues, I believe. I’m yet to find the supposed secret archive, perhaps I should focus more on that. I honestly haven’t been paying enough attention to my investigation recently. Since I got the ‘script’, I will have to confirm the validity of it. See whether the information it provides is correct. If it is, that should save me a lot of time and bring me closer to the answer.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Relatively short chapter, due to the next one containing some rather unpleasant things.

"Puhuhu! So, you got the script now, huh? I wonder if you’ll at least be able to solve it with that, if the mastermind already threw a walkthrough at your useless feet! If you don’t get it right, I’ll have to revoke your title, as the headmaster. Can’t let you have one just because you’re daddy’s little girl, y’know?" I grit my teeth, this stupid bear knows where to prod to hurt me. The mastermind knows it. This script was probably just another insult at the one thing I take pride in, my ability as a detective.  
  
"Don’t worry, I will beat the mastermind. And I’ll repay them in full. Every little humiliation..." I will not let the mastermind win. Never. That’s the one thing I’ll never allow.  
  
"You don’t really sound like a detective anymore, Kyouko-chan. I must say, in spite of everything, it looks like the mastermind still has the upper hand! AHAHAHA!" That is true. I can’t catch the mastermind as a detective, I know that. The mastermind is too good at this game, if I play by the rules, I lose. I have to find some way to ‘cheat’, as much as I despise it. I may ultimately lose this battle, but I won’t lose the war.  
  
"Spare me your antics. Give me new hints or shut up." Whoever programmed this monstrosity, it was programmed to be sadistic. A marvel in itself, to be sure. Advanced to the point where one could think a living human being was speaking through it. And yet, the cameras show everyone, at this moment. No one could control it remotely, unless there is an unknown person in this building. Which most certainly isn’t the case. A cheap person X wouldn’t satisfy the mastermind or myself. We are on the same page about that much, at least. Odd as it may seem, I trust the mastermind, to a certain degree.  
  
"Geez, what more do you want? Does li’l Kywoko need a carrying wheel for detective work now?! You have everything you should need, probably more! The mastermind went out of their way to give you a second chance with that script, you useless failure! Do something on your own, for once." As soon as I’m done with checking the essential systems, I leave. This should be enough, according to the mastermind. I won’t disagree. I only need to find the archive. I failed to do so in the script.  
  
“You are as much of a helper as I initially suspected. I suppose that’s only fitting, for an inferior AI that can only obey its master. At least I can respect the mastermind, but you’re just a lapdog.” This was a heavy blow, I don’t think I ever saw this devious little bear so incredibly angry. He looks like he’s ready to explode, I’m satisfied with myself. Trying to play him and the mastermind against each other may be futile, but it’s certainly worth a shot, if only for the amusement it might cause.  
  
“Now listen up here, you ungrateful little daddy’s girl! The mastermind has no control over me, if I wanted to, I could mess them up easily! I’m the superior bear!” I ignore his screaming and leave the data lab, smiling to myself. I’ll let him stew for a bit, maybe this will eventually be helpful. What it certainly was is cathartic. I suppose it’s time to search for the archive again. Assuming it exists, it should be somewhere out in the open, in a place where the mastermind could easily enter and leave without seeming suspicious…  
  
…  
  
The men’s restroom, 2nd floor. I already checked the women’s restroom thoroughly, considering it was more easily accessible to me without being questioned if any of my classmates found me. Hiding something within the bathroom of your own sex would only make sense, if you wanted to avoid suspicious. Still, this is a necessary part of the investigation and I will leave nothing up to chance. I thought a man would be more likely, seeing how Mukuro is apparently a henchman and the others don’t seem very likely candidates either. Other than myself, I could only imagine Celeste and Junko to be the mastermind, but both of them had airtight alibis for the time when things got out of control…  
  
Looking through the closet with the tools and pushing against the wall, something unexpected happens. I never thought such a cliché would exist in Hope’s Peak Academy, but it looks like there’s indeed a hidden passage opening up. I’m sure I checked here before, but nothing happened at that time. My heart rate picks up, actual hidden passages are incredibly rare, even in my line of work, and I do feel excited. I hope this indeed an archive and not just some voyeur’s hideout, though I might have to confront my father about it if it were the latter. I need a moment to look for a light switch…  
  
“This, this is…!” I can’t help gasping, I thought it was just a way for the mastermind to distract me. I never expected an actual hidden archive, I wonder if it was locked before or if I simply overlooked it. Regardless, these are official documents by Hope’s Peak Academy, countless of them, neatly put in order. Well, they could be counterfeit, I suppose. A quick look at the handwriting makes this rather unlikely. While I can’t confirm the validity of all of these documents, I do recognise the handwriting of a few documents. Would the mastermind be capable of faking these? Most likely. But would they? I have to operate under the assumption that the mastermind is playing ‘fair’ regardless. If they were fake, there should be a hint. I will have to assume they are what they appear to be. The only thing that is obviously doctored are the dates, or rather the lack of dates, all carefully erased.  
  
There are a few other unofficial documents as well. This one, for example, is clearly not an official record, but rather private research of one Matsuda Yasuke… and the handwriting matches. Schematics for some complex machinery, made by Souda Kazuichi, with the apparent purpose being the alteration and removal of memories, from what I can gather, a lot of rather complex technical terminology I’m unfamiliar with. There’s no doubt in my mind that he is the one responsible for Junko’s ‘sudden amnesia’, it appears that there was no mysterious illness involved, just as I had suspected.  
  
The question would be why. He and Junko had a previous relationship, supposedly knowing each other before Hope’s Peak Academy, but that is all I could find out about them. They didn’t seem to interact much at Hope’s Peak Academy, however. Suddenly, two words catch my eye, in combination with Junko’s name…  
  
‘Ultimate Analyst’. Those simple words, on their own, should mean nothing. And yet, how could I ignore them, after what Mukuro herself told me? The mastermind is the Ultimate Analyst. Otonashi Ryouko is the Ultimate Analyst. Otonashi Ryouko is… I never knew what her supposed talent was, but that would mean… Enoshima Junko is the Ultimate Analyst??? No, no, calm down. That’s obviously wrong. Her memory loss was genuine, even if that had been her talent, she couldn’t have acted. The Tragedy couldn’t have happened without the mastermind, there was too much that depended on them, too many ‘coincidences’ that lined up just right.  
  
As I read some more, I let out a sigh of relief, against my own will. A fake persona, forged for her by Matsuda, against her will. I knew as much, more or less. Her supposed talent was obviously just something Matsuda made up. And Mukuro knew I would find this room and, with the information she fed me, I would draw the conclusion than Junko is the mastermind. Just a trap. I continue reading the notes, they mostly seem to confirm what I knew already. At least until halfway through.  
  
“I met her. I met Junko, even after giving her the treatment. In spite of everything, I met her.” I can barely make out the sentences, scribbled over repeatedly, but I’m fairly confident about my ability to decipher them. A small note, at the side of the page. Another Junko he met while the actual Junko was caught up in his ‘treatment’, huh? Interesting, though this corresponds with others who reported seeing her while that was impossible. The Ultimate Impostor?  
  
After some digging, I learned that he had booked flight tickets under a false name, for two. For himself and Junko, it would seem. Still, that’s where the trail went cold, after his ‘expulsion’. Whether Matsuda attended the flight or didn’t became impossible to learn, since The Tragedy started shortly after he could have taken this flight and the replacement for the Steering Committee certainly tried to bury any information about him. The research book has a few similar entries, most of which crossed out, but one at the end seems to remain unchanged.  
  
“I will go meet her. I’m not sure what I’m looking for. Closure? Redemption? It doesn’t matter, it’s all over. I will go meet her and probably her sister as well. Still, in case anyone finds this, they should know about those two. Ultimate Despair-” I grit my teeth, a grinning Monokuma head is drawn over whatever was written there. While I could try various means to figure out what it was, I have a feeling that it won’t be quite so simple. Still, I’ll try it later. The writing was already poor, seemingly written down in haste and under a lot of stress. Sister, huh? She and her sister…  
  
I’m not aware of anyone this would apply to. Junko didn’t have siblings or any other remaining family, that much was confirmed by all the information I found on her so far. Mukuro… Mukuro! I almost jump up, looking fervently for more information on her! I dimly remembered something, mentioned in her case file about her family. I didn’t investigate it much before, seeing how her entire family was declared dead, but this should be easy enough to verify! Looking through the documents, I soon enough stumble across detailed backgrounds of my class.  
  
While her normal profile doesn’t say much of anything, this is a much more detailed account, detailing her early life and various operations of Fenrir she might have participated in. Early on, she already seemed to have an odd fascination for weapons, writing for various magazines for weapon enthusiasts. She lived with her father, Ikusaba Akira, and her younger twin sister, following the suicide of her mother when she was at the age of 7. There, right there! Both her mother and sister aren’t named, but this information is reliable. Mukuro had a sister. That also might explain what Mukuro was about to say when I confronted her about the mastermind. Her sister…  
  
At the age of 13, a fire broke out in their house. The police later found the burned remains of Mukuro’s younger sister and the corpse of her father, still intact enough to discover that a cut through his throat was the cause of death. It is suspected than Fenrir was responsible, but there is no direct evidence, it’s only a deduction based on Mukuro’s later affiliation with the organisation. In that case, is this the connection to Matsuda’s last message?  
  
Still, regardless of how much I look, I can’t find a connection between her and anyone else in our class, prior to attending Hope’s Peak. I briefly entertained the thought that Junko was this mysterious sister, but it would make no sense that Matsuda would go and meet her, considering her condition at the time. Furthermore, her résumé is clean, aside from her time on the streets after running away from home. Other students would be more suspicious in that regard, namely Celeste, her story has a lot more holes and uncertainties.  
  
Would it be safe to conclude that Mukuro’s sister is the mastermind? I suppose it would be too early for it, but there are no detailed reports on the incident surrounding her death, even in the police file. It is possible that she faked her death somehow and assumed the identity of another person that ended up becoming a student at Hope’s Peak. Traumatised by the events in her childhood? I will ask her personally about this, after looking through some more documents.  
  
Though I rather suspect Mukuro or her sister to be the killer of their father, most likely Mukuro. The autopsy report notes that the cut happened at an unusual angle, as if the killer attacked from a lower position than their father, a more or less average man with a height of roughly 180 cm. There were no signs of a struggle either and it seems unlikely that the cut was done from behind. It would add up, the following fire was a smokescreen to enable Mukuro and her little sister to conveniently disappear. Considering the intellect and resourcefulness of the mastermind, it’s not unlikely that it was a fake body or some blackmail was involved to fake distinctive features like dental records.  
  
…  
  
“Mukuro… do you have a moment?” Byakuya doesn’t even deign to look at me, though there’s a slight grimace on his face, focused on some book about the history of Hope’s Peak Academy. Mukuro looks as apathetic as always when I speak to her, Touko is lurking in some distance, though clearly not focused on the books as much as she is on Byakuya. I patiently wait for her to step outside. “Let’s go to your room, shall we?”  
  
She looks at me suspiciously, but she leads the way. We pass by Makoto and some other students, she awkwardly replies to their greetings, but mostly stays quiet. With so many witnesses, she couldn’t do away with me, even if this new information was enough to convince her it were necessary. Everyone would be able to put two and two together, in this case. Not that it would be of much use, considering the arsenal of weapons in Mukuro’s room…  
  
“What is this about, Kirigiri? How may I help you?” She pretends to be unaffected, but I can see the tension in her shoulders, her slightly bent knees, almost like a feline predator getting ready to pounce. While my hand is around my pepper spray, I’m well aware that I wouldn’t be able to fend her off. I can only hope that the orders of the mastermind are enough to hold her back…  
  
“Your family, Mukuro. Why don’t you tell me a bit about your family?” She becomes stiff as a log, bull’s eye. One step closer to the mastermind, finally!  
  
“What is there to tell? My father and mother died when I was still a child. Fenrir has been my family ever since.” A defensive reaction, clearly this is a scenario she wasn’t prepared for. The script never prepared her for such a contingency, I was never meant to come to her today, after all. I don’t think she is faking it either, there is a slight look of genuine shock in her eyes.  
  
“I rather wanted to talk about your sister, the only member of your ‘family’ that you didn’t murder, by the time you were capable of it. Though I have to wonder why you killed them all. Did they end up becoming inconvenient to your plans? Or were you just that bloodthirsty?” Sweat gathers on her forehead, fear is reflected in her eyes, her hand sneakily moves towards her combat knife. This is a genuine reaction, the information I obtained is indeed correct. Mukuro can certainly act, but not to this degree. A small grin tugs at the corner of my mouth, soon growing in size as she steps back.  
  
“He… he deserved it, all of it. He tried to touch, to, to do unspeakable things to her, on her b-birthd-… I, I had to, I had to…! This knife, it, it was her gift, I, I…!” She’s shivering and tears escape her eyes, old wounds torn open again by my investigation. Nothing new, for a detective. I almost feel a shred of sympathy for her and her sister, admittedly. But their actions can’t be forgiven. Regardless of how messed up their past may have been, they are monsters that have to be put down, for their own good and everyone else’s.  
  
“I’m sorry, I had no idea… it must have been difficult. You can tell me, I will help you. I just need to know who she is, I will help her. I will save her, it’s not too late to fix this.” She looks at me, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. She is surprisingly easy to read, whenever it’s something personal to her. Still, her gaze hardens again soon enough.  
  
“I will tell you nothing about that, about her, about anything… nothing!” She isn’t attacking me, she can’t, even if all of her instincts scream at her to do so, even if there’s nothing she’d rather do, right about now. She has seen through my lie, she knows I wasn’t genuine, but the orders of her ‘commander’ are absolute, for her. And that shall be their downfall.  
  
“You have told me plenty already, Mukuro. You have confirmed my suspicions about both your sister and what happened to your family and Fenrir. This visit has been very productive, I must admit. Thank you for your assistance.” Mukuro turns white as a sheet, noticing she’s been had. There was little useful information on her father or her sister, but she just gave me a lot of additional information, due to a simple bluff. I don’t think her sister will be pleased with her. I certainly am, however. I never noticed Mukuro could be so expressive, usually she hardly reacts to anything. Now she’s easy to read.  
  
“I understand… I understand why she wanted to play this game now. Yes, I understand her, I’m the only one who understands her. You and her… you’re two of a kind.” My laughter dies in my throat, turning into an unpleasant coughing fit as I gasped at the same time and got some saliva in the wrong pipe. That’s such a cliché, it shouldn’t have surprised me at all. Just a weak jab at me, and yet, that single sentence hits harder than anything that was written in that script…  
  
“You don’t know anything about me or the mastermind, if you think that.” I respond with all the resentment I can muster, but Mukuro seems… different. Cold and calculating, her panic attack all but forgotten, watching my every step and searching for the slightest reason to attack me. She’s practically begging me to step beyond the boundary the mastermind has set, to assault her. But I know better. She will not act against her orders.  
  
“I know that you are an obstacle that must be removed. My commander… my sister would go through with her stupid game, just to prove a stupid point. No… no, I won’t let her! Give me a reason, Kirigiri… the slightest reason!” Baring her fangs, Mukuro’s face twists in rage. And yet, she is only as dangerous as a dog that was chained to a light post. As long as you don’t step into the range of her leash, she is powerless to do anything beyond yapping, even if you hit her with a stick. No, not quite… the mastermind is challenging her to rip the leash with ridiculous orders, in a desperate hope that she will turn against her orders and the one issuing them. I think I understand…  
  
“You don’t seem to understand her as well as you believe.” I merely step out of the room, leaving the screaming and raging Mukuro behind, all noises swallowed up the moment the door closes behind me. She really is… worthless.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Consider this your warning, this chapter is messed up. Ritual murder, cannibalism, anything implied in the tags, just about anything terrible you could think of from the top of your head, you have it all in here. Ultimate Despair, Class 77-B in action for a short guest appearance. If any of that bothers you (which it probably should, but who am I to judge, having written it?), I'd recommend you skip this chapter.

I freeze as I watch the footage of my confrontation with Mukuro in the data lab. A shudder travels down my spine, only now do I realise that she wasn’t as far off as I would have liked to believe. The gleeful expression as I corner her, the insidious smile as I offer her and her sister a chance for redemption and salvation, the gratified smile as I leave the room, the grin that threatens to cover my face yet again as I hear her screaming for her sister for answers, all alone in her room… it would be fitting for the mastermind, beyond a reasonable doubt.  
  
Still, that doesn’t mean anything. Even if I was enjoying that moment a little bit too much, that doesn’t make me similar to the mastermind, the very notion is ridiculous. I switch cameras, looking through the feed in other places and listening to anything that seems interesting. Nothing seems to be happening, however. Nothing, until I look at a camera on the roof outside, staring in disbelief. There’s a group of people on the roof, at least ten…!  
  
“Identify yourselves.” After taking a moment to regain my composure, I speak into the microphone, pushing the button to connect to the speaker on the roof. I’m not entirely sure what they’re doing there, but I’m absolutely positive that it’s nothing good. Besides, some of them look awfully familiar.  
  
“We are Ultimate Despair! We were entrusted with the final preparations by the mastermind, such are our instructions.” Sonia Nevermind steps forth, former class representative of Class 77-B. She certainly stands out, wearing a richly adorned dark red dress and a crown on her head. A crown that isn’t meant to be hers, dark brown stains covering parts of it, deliberately left there. An entire country, swallowed up by despair, turning into a hole all of Europe and large parts of China would fall into…  
  
“And who would that mastermind be?”  
  
“Listen to that useless detective bitch! Almost a year and she still doesn’t have the foggiest clue. Fuck, even I didn’t take that long, hehe!” Souda Kazuichi, working on some kind of machinery in the background. Most of his classmates laugh at the camera, but I ignore them. That’s all I can do, from my position here. There’s no access to the roof and no weapons I could control either, even if I wanted to. The main entrance is guarded by an automated security system, but the roof isn’t, it would seem…  
  
“Would you listen to that? Even the useless former virgin is making fun of you, Miss Defective. Well, on the upside, Mahiru owes me something now, all thanks to your failure. I did bet you wouldn’t figure out the identity of Big Sis~ Seriously, even back then, Mikan wasn’t as useless as you!” Who would that be, if not Saionji? She might have grown physically, but it’s obviously still her. The only thing that betrays her allegiance is a Monokuma brooch, holding her kimono together, otherwise she looks like a charming young woman.  
  
“It’s good to see that your mind hasn’t grown proportionally to your body, otherwise I might have been slightly worried about you.” The group laughs at my childish retort, much to Saionji’s embarrassment. Instead of rushing to her help, Koizumi is swooning and taking pictures of her apparent misery. They are as twisted as I would have imagined… no, probably much more twisted than I could imagine. They might seem like they’re just a school class, joking around, but...  
  
“You can’t reach up to Big Sis! You really are useless. You haven’t saved a single person while we were squishing millions of Mister Ants, no, billions! Squish, squish, squish… I wonder what that says about you, Miss Defective?” A very uncomfortable silence dominates everything for a few seconds, though most of the people assembled are still grinning. The atmosphere around Saionji has changed, no matter how innocent she might look, she has killed more people than any mass murderer I investigated in my entire life, not even war criminals could compare to any of them. Disregarding the mastermind herself. Herself…  
  
“Why don’t you tell me a little bit more about your ‘Big Sis’? You seem to have nothing better to do.” Before she gets a chance to reply, Tanaka shoves himself in front of the camera, threateningly raising his left bandaged arm, his hamsters squeaking in a manner that almost sounds bloodthirsty, somehow. I didn’t even know hamsters were capable of producing such sounds…  
  
“Tremble before Lord Tanaka the Forbidden One, foolish mortal! Know that you are nothing before myself… and even less before her.” I coldly look at them all, one by one. All of them look tainted, sick, in one way or another. Maimed limbs, empty or missing eyes, not a hint of happiness in any of them, only gleeful amusement…  
  
“Ah, d-, don’t say that, Tanaka-s-s-san… my beloved forgives even those that are less than nothing, eh, ehehe~ Even they are capable of despair, right?” With one exception. Tsumiki Mikan looks as if she had never been happier, somehow that’s almost more terrifying than the others. Her fit seems to be contagious, the others start giggling and laughing as well, with rapt expressions. “Where is she? My, my beloved…?”  
  
“That is a good question. I assume she set this date for you?” Tsumiki giggles at that word, ‘date’, but surprisingly, Saionji doesn’t shove her or demean her otherwise. Sonia finally positions herself in the centre of the screen again, staring into the camera as if she could appraise me through it.  
  
“I’m afraid you are mistaken. We came here as soon as we had completed all of our individual tasks, but there was no set date. We are here to set everything up for the killing game.” The killing game, huh? These are the preparations for the broadcast and I can only watch. It’s somewhat sobering, seeing that even after all this time, everything is going exactly how she wanted it to.  
  
“Can’t she give us permission already? Hey, hey, can I jump, can I~?” Mioda is precariously balancing on the edge of the roof, staring down with a twisted mix of longing and expectation. The others soon join her, except for Souda, still working on the antenna that is meant to broadcast our demise, drowning in despair… if I fail.  
  
“I can give you permission instead. Go ahead and jump. Won’t it bring your beloved mastermind despair?” Mioda squeals and jumps… only to be caught by the leg by Nidai and dragged up again. Was it wrong of me to try that? I’m sure Makoto would scold me for that. Then again, this conflict won’t be won by playing nice. Any of these people have caused the death of more individuals than any war criminal in recent memory, perhaps more than any human being ever has before.  
  
“HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN ALREADY?! IT’S OUR DUTY TO STAND BY AS SHE SHITS ALL OVER THE REMAINS OF HOPE’S PEAK!” My ears are ringing, I stare in mild horror as the other members of Ultimate Despair descend upon the musician and do things I don’t even want to imagine, judging by her initial screams. Words like traitor are thrown around, I almost expect them to kill Mioda by ripping her apart. However, Komaeda steps in.  
  
“Stand by and watch, remember? Geez, you really can’t manage the simplest tasks. Unlike her. The ultimate stepping stone, I suppose? Or perhaps more of a springboard! Oh, I can’t wait to see what the hope that will emerge from those doors once she is dead will look like! A hope to crush all hope… AHAHAHA *Wheeze* hahaha…!” Komaeda Nagito, who else? He always had a few screws loose, he seems the most ‘normal’ out of all of them, I suppose. The others direct hateful glares at him, but they surprisingly don’t attack him. Still, what does he mean by that? The mastermind, a stepping stone for hope?  
  
“There is no way for the mastermind to lose. The strongest fighter is under her command and she knows how to manipulate us perfectly. There’s nothing we can…” I slap a hand in front of my own mouth, I can’t believe I said all that! What was I even thinking?! And yet, Komaeda smiles at the camera, a genuine smile.  
  
“Don’t you get it by now? Your ‘mastermind’ isn’t looking to win. She never wanted to win. She intentionally made things as difficult for herself as they could possibly be. She will sabotage her own plans, because she isn’t interested in petty things like ‘victory’. Why do you think she’s playing these games with you? She could have ended it months ago.” The others howl, I don’t know how else to describe it. Throwing themselves on the ground, pulling their own hair and scratching themselves to the point of bleeding in a horribly mismatched cacophony of lament…  
  
“Save her, Kirigiri! Don’t let her die, she can’t die! No way, after everything we’ve been through together… she doesn’t get to just die! Not like my sister, not like my father, not...” Kuzuryuu screams with tears in his good eye, the other covered by an eyepatch, in a twisted expression caught somewhere between hatred and love. They all… venerate the mastermind, the very same mastermind that destroyed their lives. I don’t understand them at all. How does a human being… break like that? They’re all broken, so fundamentally broken…  
  
“She can’t die! No, I won’t let her die... Mikan, prepare the sacrifices for her!” Sacrifices?! I stare at the screen in bewilderment, those are… civilians, by the looks of it. Perhaps a family, parents and three children? All of them seem to be asleep, presumably drugged or knocked out. Tsumiki arranges them in a circle with the help of Tanaka, the other members step back to make room for them. As soon as all of them are in place, Tanaka steps forward, with a glittering ritual knife in hand, drawing some sort of circle on the ground around them…  
  
“You, you aren’t… stop this madness, at once! You can’t seriously…” The words die in my throat, I can’t see the movement at this angle, but a red pool already spreads on the roof…  
  
“Hey, Ibuki, it’s boring if they’re not awake! Give us a nice rift, will ya?” I can only stare at Kuzuryuu on the screen, grinning as Mioda scratches her guitar, god, these sounds…! I have to cover my ears, it’s unbearable! The victims stir, soon fully awake, crying and screaming as soon as they notice the first corpse.  
  
“If you don’t stop this right now, I’ll kill your beloved mastermind! Let them go, you twisted lunatics! Let them…” Kuzuryuu’s grin only widens, he makes a hand gesture, Pekoyama brandishes her sword and… I couldn’t even follow the motion, yet the head of one of the children…! I can’t do anything. There’s nothing I can do, I couldn’t even climb to the roof and get out there if I wanted to. I can only watch as the cries of despair increase in volume, inhuman squeaks and howls, both of the victims and the perpetrators…  
  
“Oh, no, Kirigiri-san. You misunderstand. This is a mercy for them. If they were dumb enough to take medicine from a stranger, they wouldn’t have made it far either way. You should see what the others do to the ones they catch in their free time! Killing them now, all together instead of letting them die one by one, that’s almost too nice for them. Mediocre trash without any talent whatsoever, not even worth being looked down on. You with a proper talent should understand that, right?” Komaeda grins at the camera as Tanaka and Pekoyama move on to their next victims. Tanaka slices the throat of the next child, Kuzuryuu makes a different gesture, Pekoyama nods…  
  
“Not so quick, Peko. That’s boring. I want to line up the perfect shot… do it slowly, okay?” Koizumi gets in position, aiming her camera at the remaining child… Pekoyama, she is, she is… disembowelling…  
  
“Stop it, Peko. Here, let me help. Stitch for stitch, stitch, stitch, stitch~ Just like my arms, just like my legs…” Even worse screams, if they can still be called that, as Tsumiki indeed stitches the wounds… at least that’s what it looked like, at first. Nidai is holding down the hapless victim, but the stitches don’t stop with the wounds, further and further, until… “That’s a good little patient. I’d love to take care of you some more, what a good boy~ Well, Peko, finish it.”  
  
“Hey! Don’t waste the organs, blood and life are sacrifice, but their bodies are meals! And so much more, while they’re still warm…” Teruteru screams angrily, perverse laughter resounding from the others. How, how could any human being… laugh about something like that?!  
  
“Well, I prefer it when they still scream. It’s much better to snuff them out right as you’re about to finish, you know? Don’t we have any more? I don’t care what, I’d just like a bit of entertainment, once I’m done here. Seriously, if you work as much for her as me, you need to cut loose a bit on the weekends, haha!” I scream at the screen, what, what the hell… what is that?! Those people aren’t human, what the fuck has the mastermind done to them?! If, if they are that messed up, then the mastermind… I never even realised, but I feel as if I’m drifting on the ocean, some unknown terror in the cage with me, far worse than the sharks ripping apart bodies outside…  
  
“Impostor, don’t just sit on your ass, do something fun for the last two!” Soon disguised as one of the children, the impostor waddles over to the parents, looks of relieve covering their faces, only to be twisted by betrayal and despair as they slowly drag their blade over their necks, giving them time for the supposed information that one of their children killed them all to sink in…  
  
“Very well, infernal cook. The ritual has been consummated, do your deeds. Just make sure my own meal remains untainted by your perversities. And remember your prayers of gratitude, the amount of animals senselessly tortured for consumption has never been lower than it is now. Rejoice, my Dark Divas of Destruction! Humanity has finally learned to repay their debts!” They cheep excitedly, even the animals… as Tanaka removes the bandages on his left arm, swarms of horrid insects or spiders descend on one of the corpses…! I, I think I’m going to…  
  
“What is it, Kirigiri? You have been quiet for a while. Are you jealous, are you? We’re going to have a real party up here, did you want to join?” Saionji’s mature and kind smile as she stares into the camera, completely unbothered by the horrible activities in the background… I can’t even put into words what my eyes are seeing. And yet, I can’t look away either. A horrid display no horror movie, no case I ever was on could compare to. Compared to these high school kids, the worst of scum I ever encountered seems like harmless gentlemen I wouldn’t mind having tea with…  
  
“HAHA, IT’S ALWAYS GREAT TO WELCOME A NEW MEMBER! THE MORE, THE MERRIER, RIGHT?!” Never, never, never… not even in my worst nightmares. I can almost smell the burning flesh through the screen, painfully reminded of my own experiences with it, living through it again…  
  
“One of us, one of us… when is the barbecue ready, Teru? I, I can eat, right? Today… today is an exception, right? Just like my siblings, today is a special day, right…?” Owari, she looks more like a skeleton wrapped in paper than a human being… I can only watch it, not even scream, not even choke and vomit. I can’t hear their words, I just watch. Watch and watch…


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quite possibly the most jarring shift in moods between this chapter and the last one, this chapter is sweet and... a little bit sexy, perhaps? I tried. Might have been more fitting to upload the last one for Halloween, but that wouldn't really have worked.

“Hm? What’s the matter, Kyouko-chan~? You look kind of sick, are you still feeling tired?” I lean on Junko as soon as I return to my room. I didn’t throw up, but it’s probably a good thing I skipped breakfast. For once, even I felt close to doing so. The screams of the mother, the last survivor… the grin on Teruteru’s face as he approached her corpse… it’s a good thing that none of the others know. Even I will have nightmares from this… “Should I take you to the nurse’s office? You’re really pale… um, even more so than usual.”  
  
“Must… must have been something I had for breakfast. Not the… nurse’s office.” It would just remind me of Tsumiki, gleefully watching the executions that took place, the needles… I collapse on the bed after she guides me there, I just want to forget all about that. There is no reasoning, not with people like that. People like that… have to be killed. That is the only solution. And if those were just the followers… I don’t even want to imagine what the actual mastermind must be like, beneath the mask they are wearing. Beneath the mask… could any of us truly be as bad as that, or even worse?  
  
“Aw, does your tummy hurt? Maybe this will help~?” Junko lies down next to me, pressing against my back, her left hand gently reaching over my side and rubbing my stomach… I almost want to shove her away, I’m really not in the mood for flirting. Then again, I don’t want to hurt Junko’s feelings either and it helps, at least I think it does. The knot in my stomach slowly seems to dissolve, the heady smell of her perfume, patchouli and something else, it helps distract me. I relax, ever so slowly.  
  
“Thank you… I’m sorry for being a burden to you.” Soon enough I will nod off, if this goes on… and I don’t mind, I certainly wouldn’t mind. Just getting out of here, out of this, even if it’s just for the few brief hours of sleep… it won’t be an escape, instead of the safety of these gloomy walls, I will find myself beneath the red sky. I will relive the experiences of today in detail, I’m sure of it. I’ll see it all again, combined with various cases I worked on or read about… “Maybe you should sleep in your own room tonight, you know?”  
  
“Oh… did, did I do something wrong? Was I being too annoying? Ah, sorry, you don’t have to tell me, if you don’t want to…” Great, as if I needed to feel any more miserable…  
  
“No, it’s not about that at all. I, I just think I’ll have nightmares, I don’t want to wake you up.” And I really don’t want her to hear anything about what happened today, that’s the last thing I’d want. I usually don’t talk in my sleep and wouldn’t be so out of it after waking up that I’d say anything about it, but today is hardly anything usual, after seeing them. She probably knows, she met them once already, but if she was willing to commit suicide before this…  
  
“Haha, no need to worry about that! I’ll make any nightmares you might have go away, shoo, shoo~ Seriously, though, after living on the streets for a while, I’m used to screams at night. Don’t worry about it, it will all be fine, I’ll sleep right through it, as I always did. Right? There, there…” Continuously stroking my stomach, slowly moving her hand under my shirt… I know I should send her away for tonight, but I just feel way too heavy, my strength getting drained by her warm embrace. It’s so warm and pleasant, I just can’t…  
  
…  
  
When I wake up, Junko is still lying next to me. She seems to be asleep herself, I simply enjoy her presence. We didn’t even get changed, we just fell asleep as we were. Junko must have pulled up the blanket before falling asleep herself. Surprisingly enough, I had no nightmares whatsoever, I slept well, without interruption. It has been a while since I saw something that disturbing, and yet, it doesn’t feel all too disturbing now, after sleeping over it. That’s good, such things shouldn’t bother me, they shouldn’t. What was I thinking, getting so flustered over something so insignificant?  
  
I’m used to dealing with the worst of humanity. I’m used to dealing with cases of murder, rape, abductions, human trafficking, drug abuse, any crime imaginable. And yet, the unabashed glee they showed as they murdered that family, just for the sake of despair, and what they did afterwards… I knew that the outside world must look something like that, but I constantly avoided thinking about it. As if some of us ‘Ultimates’ surviving would even be a ray of hope in that black ocean of despair…  
  
No, us being here, living happily and peacefully, that would only be yet another source of despair, I can see that now. Sitting on supplies to last for decades, while the people outside are starving, probably willing to kill over stale pieces of bread. All of human civilisation, reduced to the state of starved animals, while the few people that might have been able to prevent all of this live here in luxury. Does any of this even resemble hope in the slightest?  
  
I still have the hope Junko gave me and the hope to catch the mastermind, though that last one is slowly turning into fear instead, but other than that… could the others find anything like that? I haven’t really been keeping up with relationships to the other students, only going through recordings and writing down anything suspicious. They might as well have been robots, points of data for me to collect, instead of actual people. I was always rather detached, but I can’t help feeling as if it somehow got worse, especially since I got the script.  
  
Junko, on the other hand, barely spends a second of her day alone. Sometimes she exercises with Sakura and Hina, sometimes she plays an instrument with Leon and Sayaka, sometimes she even takes pity on Hifumi and helps him with colouring his manga. She looks as if none of this had ever happened, to all of the others. All the while blaming herself for her ‘role’ in it. Perhaps I should have taken two of the swords here and asked my father to be my second man, cutting off my head after I cut open my own stomach. After my failure, I would have deserved it much more than her…  
  
No matter how I look at it, all that’s keeping us together is Junko. If it wasn’t for her, I’m almost certain that various groups would have formed, each suspecting the other, ultimately culminating in a sort of gang war. Mondo, Chihiro and Taka, Hina and Sakura, Togami, Mukuro and Genocider… and the ones like me, left out and relatively easy prey for the others. We could try to rally, make our own faction, but before the might of Sakura or Mukuro, we would stand no chance whatsoever.  
  
“What are you brooding about this time, hm?” Rubbing my eyes, I barely suppress a yawn. I suppose I could get up, but the morning announcement hasn’t even played yet. The lights are still out, only the green emergency lights are on.  
  
“All sorts of things. Wondering how the entire world could be plunged into despair, for example. You don’t have to entertain my musings, but…” A soft sigh against my ear, I almost want to continue sleeping instead. Maybe turn around and snuggle even closer to her, enjoy her warmth, her softness…  
  
“I see, still that. I suppose it was only a matter of time until things got back to that topic, since we’re trapped here and all that. Well, I hope it can put your mind at ease, at least somewhat, so let’s talk about it. Did you ever read about Dr. Theodore John Kaczynski?” That would be…  
  
“The Unabomber? ‘Industrial society and its future’ was his manifesto, I believe? I did study that case and read his manifesto, if that’s what you refer to.” A former mathematics professor, blaming most issues of modern societies on the progress of technology, believing the only solution would be a revolution against said progress, so to speak. An interesting read, though he clearly was a rather disturbed individual, considering the bombings he was responsible for. Or perhaps he would be celebrated as a hero today, if others had shared his vision, if he had been able to carry out his revolution.  
  
“I wasn’t really talking about the case, though I did study it a bit. Do you remember what he wrote on revolutions, by any chance?” I can’t say I paid too much attention to that, it didn’t seem very relevant to me. I rather studied his methodology, he certainly was a rather intelligent man, judging by how long he evaded capture. I’m not sure if I could have caught him any sooner. Still, detective work is rarely about catching someone in the act, we are more focused on reconstructing what has already happened.  
  
“Something about the need to start a revolution against technology. His distrust towards leftists, in spite of them possibly being sympathetic to his cause, the importance of convincing others…” It didn’t really leave too much of an impression on me. He was an extremist, that was the relevant part to my studies. He worked alone, most likely unable to convince anyone else to join his cause, so I thought it to be rather irrelevant to my own studies.  
  
“A revolution can’t be carried out by one individual or even a group of individuals. A successful revolution is impossible to control, it can only follow a certain way that is more or less predetermined. You could say that he theorised that a revolution may only succeed if it was already firmly rooted in the subconsciousness of the general population.” Hm? Was there something like that? I can’t help wondering what her point is… maybe I’m just too tired.  
  
“The current situation is hardly comparable to a revolution, is it?” There is no clear goal, Ultimate Despair may be best defined by its aimlessness and unpredictability. That makes it so incredibly difficult to make progress with this investigation to begin with, the mastermind doesn’t follow any patterns, beyond the desire to cause as much despair as possible. I’d imagine that anyone on the outside trying to fix this would be faced with a similarly impossible task, Ultimate Despair is certainly insane, but at the same time meticulous and intelligent.  
  
“I’ve been thinking, you know? The mastermind… they couldn’t have done it on their own, obviously. But, considering that point… they couldn’t have done it with a group either, no matter how powerful or influential the individual members would have been.” The mastermind… couldn’t have done it with a group…? That’s impossible, something is wrong here.  
  
“It’s just the theory of that man, isn’t it? What does it have to do with this situation?” I turn around to look at her, but I can barely make out her features in the darkness. I consider getting up, but it seems like too much of a pain…  
  
“It’s a theory that is quite reasonable. If you wanted to implement a big change, you would have to move within the framework of the society. There are too many components that are all interconnected, you couldn’t force a change of that scale, regardless of how many resources you had. Communism, for example, couldn’t be successfully implemented, simply because too many ‘smaller interests’ ingrained in society would conflict with it.” It’s nothing new that Ultimate Despair flies in the face of any social theories some armchair sociologist might concoct. I don’t think anyone could have foreseen this result, all things considered.  
  
“Ultimate Despair is impossible, I know. A lot of people said that, ever since the phenomenon or movement, whatever you want to call it, started manifesting itself.” It isn’t like Junko to go on a pointless tirade, usually her thoughts are very structured and well thought out. Am I the one who isn’t following here? She hums contemplatively, I move a little bit closer to her… her warmth is very welcome, it wards off the unpleasant coldness that’s beginning to creep over me.  
  
“I didn’t say that. I simply theorised that it couldn’t have been forced.” Couldn’t… have been forced? But, if it wasn’t forced, then…  
  
“You’re saying that Ultimate Despair is… an organic movement? That it was the natural conclusion of the state of the world…?!” The state of the world prior to The Tragedy, the class divide, the collapse of social cohesion, the disconnect between the government and the people, only fuelled even further by the controversies surrounding Hope’s Peak Academy…  
  
“Maybe it is just a stupid theory, that could be it. Or maybe Ultimate Despair only sped up what was inevitable to begin with… what do you think?” Is she saying… have I been giving the mastermind too much credit? Was it really so unthinkable that the world could collapse, under its own weight? Is Junko looking for consolation in that line of thinking, consolation I couldn’t offer her? Maybe there is some truth to that, even, unbelievable as it might seem.  
  
“I know that the world was facing many severe problems for quite a while. A lot of it was repressed by providing for the basic needs of most, but there were rather severe issues that weren’t properly addressed. I’m… not entirely sure.” But, Ultimate Despair… it doesn’t promise any improvements. It doesn’t promise salvation and doesn’t offer anything worldly, it doesn’t give anything at all. Even if all of these grievances were reason enough to abolish society in its current form, why would they…?  
  
“I would agree with the assessment of Mr. Kaczynsky that humanity has lost its way, its sense of value. While I disagree with him on many points, that much was spot on. His thoughts on surrogate activities we implemented for the loss of worth we felt from our basic struggle to survive also seems spot on.” Ah, those… I’m beginning to remember. Since basic survival is mostly secure in modern societies, people don’t have to struggle to get what they want, so they try to project this struggle into different venues, like their job or hobby.  
  
“Like my detective work?”  
  
“Hm… perhaps? If we take my talent as an example, I received an incredible amount of recognition for nothing, basically. My fashion hardly helped anyone in a substantial way, it was ultimately useless to society as a whole… and yet, I received disproportionately more attention and praise than the workers that kept water and electricity running. In other words, my surrogate activity became more valued than their essential activities, causing them to lose their own sense of value.” That is… true, I suppose. Most people that actually do important work for the basic survival of society aren’t allotted any worth, beyond their payment, while the bosses of the companies like Byakuya get all the credit for their hard work… would it be unreasonable to feel despair over that?  
  
“I can see your point, Junko. There was some deep resentment in society, with Hope’s Peak Academy becoming the very embodiment of this resentment, a symbol of ‘talent’ towering over the meaningless masses. And yet, I think you have inspired a lot of hope in many people. Don’t belittle that…” She makes a weird noise, almost like a cute little squeal. I hug her all the tighter, welcoming her warmth, even if I’m hardly feeling cold. It warms something other than my body…  
  
“G-, geez… if you want an idol, you should praise Sayaka instead, you know?” That’s not true. Junko was a lot more than ‘just’ the Ultimate Fashionista, a lot of people looked up to her for other reasons as well. While I initially disliked her somewhat for her often defiant attitude, I’ve come to admire it. Perhaps things would have been different, if we had been courageous enough to stand up for the Reserve Course, the same way she had.  
  
“I don’t think anyone among us would be more praiseworthy than you. At least you did something to stop this entire mess, even if it ultimately backfired. That’s more than anyone else here can say for themselves.” Junko goes quiet in my arms, I gently twirl her hair around my fingers, it’s so incredibly soft, like something out of this world. She is desirable, in many ways. I never truly learned to desire, to yearn for something, this is the first time…  
  
“Backfire? More like enable Ultimate Despair… if I hadn’t incited the Reserve Course against the entire school, this couldn’t have happened.” Perhaps not, at least not in this precise way. However…  
  
“If you were right with your remarks about Kaczynsky, you alone can’t accept the fault for that either. It was something society subconsciously decided, whether you went with or against it, it was inevitable.” She snorts derisively, but it’s true. If she wants to accept that premises, then she must accept the conclusion as well. That’s something I excel at, following premises and evidence to a conclusion. It may be the most basic logic, but it’s still quite useful.  
  
“I never knew you could muster replies with such bite.” Perhaps I wouldn’t have bothered to point out logical inadequacies before, unless it had something to do with my own investigations. I wouldn’t even have bothered with other social interactions, considering them meaningless, for the most part. It might be ironic that I only discovered meaning in such things now. Then again, I suppose we often only realise the worth of something after losing it. In spite of everything, I believe that I have gained more from The Tragedy than I have lost. Evaluating myself now, compared to before…  
  
“You like it when I bite, don’t you?” I lean in closer, gently biting down on her earlobe. She squeals adorably, but she doesn’t resist, leaning her head to the side to give me easier access. I was worried that I was too bold, I’m not entirely sure about the proper procedures of a relationship… does this mean she is fine with taking it further? Does she want me to take the initiative? I’m not entirely sure what is expected of me, in this relationship. Should I take the lead? “Junko, can I? I mean, I…”  
  
“Sheesh, d-don’t… don’t be so awkward after starting out so bold! I’m fine either way, you don’t have to worry about me. If, if I wanted you to stop… you’d notice.” I guess there’s still much I have to learn. I’m not sure about lesbian relationships in general, to be honest. Even my knowledge of more conservative relationships is rather lacking, so how would I know about this? Am I supposed to assume the role of the man, so to speak? Is that how it works? I’m afraid my experiences with cheating and murder in relationships are far more pronounced than whatever let up to those…  
  
“I’m sorry, I have to admit that I… I hardly have any experience in this field.” My heart is pounding, I slowly let my hands wander down her arm, incredibly smooth, I can’t feel a single uneven spot through my glove. I kiss her, somewhat awkwardly, slowly pushing her on her back instead, my knees on either side of her hips, holding both of her hands for a bit, just feeling them against my own. She takes my hands and gently squeezes them, encouraging me with her warmth… I never felt more nervous, and yet, I don’t think I ever felt so good.  
  
“What, are you implying that I’m a slut? What evidence do you have for that, hm? Anyway, you won’t be needing these, right?” Junko gently lifts my hands to her mouth, biting into the gloves and pulling them off with her teeth… *Gulp* I can’t see it very well, but I can feel her smile against my now bare fingers, luscious and wet. I feel a strange warmth in the pit of my stomach, almost like a response to the sight I can’t quite see, but picture all too easily.  
  
“I… the way you dress, I simply assumed… that’s not good enough. Still, were you not in a relationship with someone before? Matsuda, perhaps? There, there were a lot of rumours, I…” She sighs as she pulls me down towards her, her warm breath pleasantly tickling every little hair on my neck…  
  
“Has no one ever told you that bringing up someone’s ex in such a situation is a bit of a turn-off? Doubly so if he tried to brainwash you to think you were still in love with him and made you look like his mother because of some incestuous kink he had.” Is that what happened? I, I see… they were a couple before Hope’s Peak Academy, then? They fell out of love and Matsuda, obsessed with her, made her forget the fact that she broke up with him? I can’t say I ever encountered a case quite like that, admittedly.  
  
“Wait… how do you remember that? I, I thought…” I freeze, she shouldn’t be able to remember anything from her time as Otonashi Ryouko. There should be nothing left, according to the doctors I questioned just before The Tragedy. All of her memories should have vanished.  
  
“I don’t actually remember that, Kyouko-chan. I still have my diary from that time. Ryouko’s memory notebook.” Wh-, what?! I, I remember, Otonashi Ryouko did in fact always carry around her notebook. I once chanced a glance at it while she was asleep, but it was every bit as confused as she was, at that time. And afterwards, I assumed Matsuda took it. How could Junko still have it? I thoroughly searched her room and couldn’t find anything!  
  
“You… can I have that? May I see it? Um, at, at another time, right now…” As valuable as it might be to my investigation, there are things I’d rather do, right now. Even if I’m not entirely sure what we are doing, exactly…  
  
“Haha, I always carried it around as a memento of sorts. it’s not like it actually contains anything useful, but I can see why you’d be so interested in it~ Sorry to disappoint you, but the similarities in our names sadly didn’t have any romantic reasons. I didn’t get to pick the name, after all.” I didn’t even consider that, but Ryouko and Kyouko are quite similar. What was that supposed to mean, I wonder, if the name was supposed to have any meaning? I read it before, so I could make an educated guess. Refreshing and cool child? Or desolate and lonely child? Both fit Ryouko well. And ‘her’ last name. Soundless? Perhaps mute? Quite the opposite to my own first name, containing a kanji for sound, but even that seems like it might have some meaning for Ryouko. Still, ‘her’ first name sounded remarkably similar to mine. Well, only Matsuda would know what he was thinking when he gave her that name.  
  
“Let’s save that for another time, shall we?” I rather wouldn’t think of a man that was desperate and insane enough to remodel his former girlfriend in the image of his mother and make her literally incapable of thinking of anything other than him. That is a level of depravity even I rarely encountered in my cases. I’d much rather focus on her warmth, her gentle touches and sinfully soft lips, begging to be tasted by my own. I indulge myself in them, daring to loosen the tie around her neck, unbuttoning her cardigan as she moans softly… in tandem with ringing bells. I freeze up, cringing internally.  
  
“Ahem, it is now 7 a.m. in the morning. Please assemble in the dining hall for breakfast. Oh, and good morning, everyone, ahahaha…” The first thing Junko must be properly seeing this morning as the lights turn on is probably one of the worst scowls I can make. Seriously, right here and now?! Junko bursts out in laughter as I roll of her with a defeated sigh, that wasn’t exactly what I anticipated for our… first time? Would that have been it?  
  
“Kyahahaha! Get, get a picture from the Data Lab, oh my god! You, you have to… hahaha!” Genuine tears rise to her eyes as she laughs uncontrollably, the moment is positively ruined. I feel like crawling under the covers again and spending the rest of the day there. I was really looking forward to it, though I didn’t know what to expect, my heart is still excitedly beating against my ribcage, I’m probably as red as a tomato… I pull another face at her, causing her to lose her recently regained composure yet again.  
  
“Sure, you can make a nice big frame for it in the workshop and then we can hang it up on the wall for you to enjoy every morning.” My delivery is dry and devoid of humour, which seems to make it at least twice as funny to her. After a while, I join in, laughing in union with her. It feels almost foreign to me, laughing so… innocently, freely. Without restraint or a care for appearances, just laughing like a child or a fool…  
  
“You’re on! I’ll make the best frame this world has ever seen and you’ll print out the picture, haha! Standard A4? Or are we going for a nice and big A0?” Perhaps she’s more serious about this than I thought. A big portrait with my silly scowl probably isn’t best decoration.  
  
“If you want to go that far, at least make it something nice, like a picture of the two of us together.” She pouts slightly, apparently embarrassed by that suggestion. Still, it’s only fair to give her a taste of her own medicine, every so often. I won’t let her hold the reins in our relationship. All of this is new to me, but I know that I’m not someone who just follows. In such a relationship, I want to be equal to my partner or maybe a little bit on the assertive side, but definitely not submissive.  
  
“Maybe you ought to smile more, if that’s what you want. Look, like this~” She does her best to imitate a radiant smile, but it looks more like a smug grin about getting the upper hand. She doesn’t make things easy for me, maybe that’s one of the reasons I appreciate her so much. A relationship with her is challenging, as much as it is pleasant. She loves challenging me, even if she doesn’t do so very often. But when she does, it’s a challenge worth taking. I was entirely focused on the mastermind, perhaps even obsessed with finding out more about her. And yet, there was an entire world of clues outside of this microcosm of Hope’s Peak Academy that had to be set in motion for Ultimate Despair to succeed. If only I could investigate that world, perhaps that’s what she was trying to tell me.  
  
“Well, as long as it’s for you, I think I can manage.” I feel somewhat ashamed as I smile, but my smile is an honest one, to the point of leaving even Junko speechless as she stares at me. I stand up, offer her a hand and lean against her, putting an arm over her shoulder and looking directly into the camera. Perhaps it’s not as good as a picture with a proper camera, but it should be good enough. After making sure that Junko also smiles, I finally start preparing for the day. It’s time to take a shower and get changed.  
  
“You’re pretty unfair, you know that?” Oh, so teasing her in return is ‘unfair’? I smile as I walk to the bathroom with a fresh set of clothes, briefly wondering if I should invite her in. I ultimately decide against it, but it was a tempting thought.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyouko finally makes some progress with her investigation again, though she isn't exactly pleased with her new findings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas, everyone! Happy birthday, Junko and Mukuro! And this year I'm even on time, amazing! I'll probably upload the next chapter tomorrow or at least before the end of the year, since I didn't upload on time before. This one probably doesn't really fit the Christmas spirit, but I have a feeling that Junko likes it better that way. It's also the 13th chapter, so it can't be too happy, right?

“Junko… could you do me a favour today?” I delayed it enough, it’s finally time. I have to find the truth, regardless of what it might be. The truth…  
  
“Sure, anything for you, darling~” I feel my cheeks heating up slightly, but that’s not what this is about! I have to investigate, I have to confront my worst fears and conquer them. Today, I will enter the office of my father and find out the truth about him. There has to be something there, my father was meticulous when it came to keeping records and I’m absolutely sure that he would have saved his records over his own life. The issue with Mondo running out like a fool distracted me, but my father didn’t help with the search, he had to be at the former main building of Hope’s Peak Academy.  
  
“I would ask you to distract my father for a while, after breakfast. Could you do that?” She nods slowly, I will have to rely on her. If my father catches wind of my intentions, he might destroy relevant documents before I get the chance to read them. While I could infer quite a bit from that, it would not be concrete evidence for much. I need to see those documents with my own eyes and confirm the contents.  
  
“Not what I was hoping for, but fine. I agreed to help you, sorry that I couldn’t really get any other relevant information. Chihiro and Byakuya were aware that the Kamukura project existed, but they didn’t tell me anything else…” I never expected them to admit more than that, that alone is valuable information, more than I could have obtained from them, surely. I smile at her, she’s a great help for me, even if she can’t get the information I need.  
  
“I’ll make it up to you some other time, don’t worry.” I grin slightly as I leave my room, Junko squeaks slightly as she goes to the bathroom to prepare her makeup. It’s incredible how fast she is, but that’s probably to be expected, of the Ultimate Fashionista. I don’t think she needs it, but it probably helps her, having a routine like that. She always looks impeccable to me, but I have to admit that fashion isn’t exactly my strong suit.  
  
I head to the data lab right away, I have my own routine to attend to, though I waste little time on it today. I move into the vents almost right away, I wouldn’t be surprised if my father had access to the cameras from his office as well. Regardless, I won’t take any risks, I will get in and out of there unseen. It’s quite a bit of distance through the vents and I’m moving slowly, but it’s worth the extra effort. I finally move in through the vent, leaving it open in case I have to get out quickly and covering the camera with my jacket before anything else.  
  
Various documents are scattered on the floor, some books in the shelves. A quick glance reveals nothing of value, simple administrative documents, such as a student rooster, various bills, books about the history of Hope’s Peak Academy and other useless junk. That can’t be all, right? I take a closer look at the student rooster, oho? It seems father also suspects Mukuro. He must have had more available information, since he apparently suspected Mukuro since the beginning.  
  
His measures against her evidently failed, whatever they were supposed to be. Still, the school apparently didn’t share his belief that Mukuro was a part of Ultimate Despair, considering they didn’t keep an eye on her. He certainly didn’t know about the other member and mastermind behind Ultimate Despair either, though he might have his suspicions. Perhaps I should ask him, confide in him… would that be a wise decision?  
  
I notice something as I investigate his desk, a small button, barely noticeable. Pressing it, a wooden plate on the desk is pushed aside, revealing a few keys, with letters like D-2F, D-1F and such. Could those be what I think they are? The controls for the shutters? If so… I press one of the keys, pressing the button to hide the keyboard again afterwards. If that is what I believe it to be, it will be most beneficial to my investigation, revealing another part of the old school building I was never allowed to properly investigate. Father said it was inaccessible, did he lie?  
  
He must have known about this. If it does indeed work, I will know for certain that he is not to be trusted, considering he would have lied to me. I take back my jacket off the camera and move out through the vents again, careful not to leave any evidence behind. I have to give father a bit of credit, he figured out who Mukuro really was, long before anyone else did. Still, that doesn’t mean he is to be trusted, for all I know he already joined Ultimate Despair himself.  
  
I leave the data lab, the first thing I want to check out would be the stairs to the second floor dormitories. Still, a curious sound interrupts my thoughts. A piano? There is a piano in the music room, but no one really plays it. Only Sayaka used it a few times with Leon, are they practising? I move towards the music room, the door is being held open by father. And the other person, sitting at the piano, flawlessly performing whatever song that is…  
  
“You are quite amazing, performing the Revolutionary Etude with ‘hardly any practise’. I have to admit, we lost an Ultimate Pianist, when you were chosen as the Ultimate Fashionista.” Junko certainly has quite a few hidden talents you wouldn’t think her capable of. It’s a rather depressing and heavy melody, but the performance itself is spot on, I believe. I couldn’t judge it reliably, seeing how I don’t know the tune in question, but Junko’s fingers dance over the keys without pause, the music flows without any stutters. Even if it were just improvisation, that would be quite amazing.  
  
“You think so? It’s simple hand-eye coordination and a bit of memory. I bet Kyouko-chan could do it just as well! Wanna give it a try, hm?” I feel slightly startled to get called out so suddenly, I didn’t think she could see me from the corner of her eye like that. Father also turns around rather suddenly, looking a bit nervous. I walk past him, towards the piano. Junko stands up with a grin, gesturing for me to take her place. This is silly…  
  
“I may know musical notation, but that doesn’t mean I will be able to produce any pleasant sounds, you know?” She puts a hand on my shoulder, getting embarrassingly close, her cheek against my ear, pointing at the note sheet… it isn’t entirely unpleasant, though this might be a bit too much.  
  
“Well, that makes it easier. With your talent, it shouldn’t be that difficult, right? You just need to build a ‘case’ out of the ‘evidence’ of these notes, then combine it into a sound argument. Does that help you?” Hm? That is… I see. Trying to abstract my talent, would such an application of it be possible? There is a physical component I can’t make up for, a lack of practise and talent, but other than that… in theory, it should be possible, I suppose. Junko turns the pages of the music book, finally deciding on something. Moonlight Sonata? I vaguely recognise this one.  
  
“Give me a moment, that is… quite unconventional.” There were tests like that in the past, but they never yielded much success. Still, it is an interesting approach, I think. After a while of studying the notes, I move my fingers over the keys, first without enough force to produce any sound, just to get a feel for it. My father looks on with a somewhat troubled smile, but I mostly tune him out. I need to focus. “Very well, I’m ready.”  
  
I’m not entirely sure about how good my ‘argument’ ends up sounding, but the ‘evidence’ is in the right sequence. How long I linger on the keys is a bit more of a problem, just like the timing in general, the directions of the sheet music can only help so much, but I don’t think it sounds terrible, at least Junko hasn’t said anything yet. I can read it just fine, but implementing it is a different issue. Still, it’s not as difficult as I would have believed, with the proper thinking. It’s not that different, is it?  
  
“Ahaha, a-, amazing, Kyouko… I never knew you could play the piano as well. Did, did you learn that at home?” Father’s reaction is somewhat strange. Is my performance inadequate? I do think it roughly sounds like the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata, though it’s hardly perfect. I can hear the slight deviations, but it’s not the worst attempt, I believe. With a bit of practise and after memorising the notes, it would hardly be difficult. It’s more or less like a game of pairs.  
  
“Sure took me a bit longer to play it like that. Give it a few days and you’ll play even better than me!” Hm, I wonder. Still, it’s not a very useful skill, I’m afraid. If I could use this to catch the mastermind, I’d certainly appreciate it a lot more. Alas, I doubt the mastermind will just reveal herself if I just play well enough. It’s still difficult to believe that it would be a woman, disregarding Mukuro herself, no one has been acting suspiciously…  
  
“That is enough, I believe. I do have some more business to attend to.” I stand up abruptly, this isn’t important. What’s important is the new rooms that I suspect to be accessible to me now. I never got a chance to properly investigate the old school building completely, prior to The Tragedy the staff of Hope’s Peak Academy was patrolling it day and night, after it, the second floor above the dormitories was sealed off. This is not an opportunity I can let slide. I give Junko a pleading look, asking her to distract my father for a bit longer. She winks, I let out a relieved sigh as soon as I’m far enough away from them. I need to hurry, I can’t let someone else ruin the crime scene.  
  
After rushing through the hallways and greeting a few of of the students I run into on the way, I finally reach the dormitories. It’s not a place others frequent around this time of day, they usually only come here in the evening (especially Hina). Still, it’s very close to the dormitories and anyone could notice the missing blockade if they thought of something they’d need from the storage room. Luckily there isn’t a crowd at the stairs, no one is there yet. I run up the stairs, wishing there was some sort of switch I could push to close the bars downstairs, but there is no such thing.  
  
This place is certainly… I’m not sure what I expected, but certainly not this. The place looks like a bomb hit it, the walls are crumbling, there is rusty red on the floor… I kneel down next to it and scratch some of the dried substance off the floor, tasting it. This is indeed dried blood, or at least it contains a similar amount of iron. Still, what is this doing here? This would hint at the fact that a massacre took place here as well, but there are no bodies remaining. Is there a connection to the outside world here? The lights also still work.  
  
After looking around, most of the hallways are completely collapsed, blocked by pieces of debris that even Sakura probably couldn’t move. Most of the accessible rooms are in a state of disrepair, the only notable exception being the bathrooms, they look as good as new, strangely enough. Still, no hidden rooms, from what I could find. There was an empty locker room, at least the lockers that were destroyed were empty, the door marked by a red giraffe, a vaguely Egyptian looking eye on the wall… I wonder who painted them. Ultimate Despair? The mastermind?  
  
Still, the locker room was strange. Some of the lockers were bolted shut with the same plating we used to block the windows and any other possible exits, but we never came to these rooms. The old school building was closed for renovations when we attended Hope’s Peak and the way was already blocked off when Father decided to lock us all in here, foolish as he was. Why is that? Who was here before us? Perhaps it’s related to the death of the student council?  
  
I finally find a place that looks different. Another place that remained clean, in spite of the blatant destruction that swept through the hallways and rooms. This place is… the private quarters of the headmaster?! It wasn’t used recently, father always returned to the headmaster’s office to sleep, a blanket on one of the couches. Still, this place used to be his private room. And there’s still a computer in here, with a bit of luck… it boots!  
  
There isn’t a lot of interesting stuff, some more documents, an executable asking for a password… probably for the ‘hidden room’, though it’s poorly hidden, I can easily feel the draft and see the gaps. I give it a few attempts, father wouldn’t be foolish enough to use anything overly emotional or simple. After a while, I give it up, there’s no way to guess a password of unknown length, probably mixed letters, numbers and special characters. Even the best detective couldn’t manage this without additional hints to work with.  
  
The documents are boring, search history reveals some searches about Ultimate Despair, but nothing groundbreaking. There is surprisingly little information on them, even in the secret network of Hope’s Peak Academy itself. Some cases, suspected to be related to them, but nothing concrete. After concluding my search, I have to admit that I feel thoroughly disappointed with my findings, or lack thereof. At least I managed to close the shutters again, so no one else should discover this place, for now. I decide to look around the room some more.  
  
After a lot of searching, I still only come up with boring work-related documents. I frown, glaring at the locked secret door, the computer and… the small table? Why is there a CD, just randomly lying there? Did I seriously overlook it so far, when it was right in the open? I made sure to close the door behind me, I should have heard anyone entering and there’s no one else in this room, I can confidently say that after checking all the possible hiding places again.  
  
I take the CD out of its cover, putting it into the appropriate drive. Is this what I have been looking for? I’m not entirely sure what I’m looking for, but this certainly seems more interesting than what I found so far. After a moment of loading, I check the explorer and find a new folder for the drive, titled ‘Best father in the world!’ with a few videos… is this supposed to be a joke? This must be from the mastermind, without a doubt. Let’s see how she wishes to mock me this time. I won’t be caught off-guard by the same trick twice, this won’t shock me, whatever it is.  
  
“Miss Enoshima… I assume you know why you’re here?” What…? That, what is that?  
  
“Sure as shit ain’t difficult to figure out, headmaster. I stepped on your toes enough that I’m surprised it took you so long.” I see, this must be from before The Tragedy. It’s not difficult to recognise the situation for what it is, an interrogation. Father and Junko, sitting across from each other in a dimly lit room, I think this is… the science department on the campus of Hope’s Peak, judging by the floor and walls? There isn’t anything else to go by. Father lets out a heavy sigh.  
  
“Miss Enoshima, please. This is a very serious situation, your tone is uncalled for. Are you aware of the consequences this could have for you?” Junko clearly isn’t in a great mood, judging by her angry glare. This must be her confrontation with the corrupt leadership of Hope’s Peak Academy, as she doubtlessly saw it. Again, I can’t disagree with her, not entirely. There was a lot of dirt behind the shiny facade of this place, dirt she herself exposed.  
  
“Last time I checked, there was something called ‘freedom of speech’ in this country. Article 21 of the constitution, maybe you fuckers should read up on it. Guarantees freedom from censorship or persecution of the press, ring any bells?” With a frown, father goes through some documents, most likely the allegations levelled against her. Incitement of the Reserve Course, information theft, possibly even treason, since the documents she released have caused international conflicts as well, though all of this was overshadowed by The Tragedy.  
  
“Since you are so informed about the law, you should be aware that your acts were not covered by this protection. Journalism has its limits and you overstepped them. The kingdom of Novoselic has threatened war if this case is not cleared up properly, do you have any idea what that could mean?” There were such threats, though it would hardly be the first time Novoselic threatened war without delivering. Still, that was doubtlessly a huge scandal, especially since their princess was at this school. Yet another building block of The Tragedy, flawlessly arranged by the mastermind.  
  
“Don’t give me that crap, Kirigiri. I would have only made myself culpable if I had done any of this to a government organisation. Hope’s Peak Academy is in fact NOT a governmental institution, it is a private one that receives some government funding. And you complain that Novoselic would demand that you big wigs follow the law, like anyone else? Just admit it, you’re fucked.” That… is a rather accurate summary of it, I suppose. There was no stopping the spread of such information, it couldn’t even be kept in the confines of Japan itself, spreading like a wildfire all over the globe within a single day. Numerous organisations, both national and international, threatened various legal actions, though it never came to that.  
  
“Hardly. This is certainly an unsightly stain on the reputation of this prestigious institution, but like any other crisis so far, we will endure it. There is no need to-”  
  
“Bullshit! No matter how much you try to suppress the information, it’s already out there, all over the world. And some heads will have to roll for that, you can bet on that. Why don’t you help me? I can make sure that it’s the people that were responsible, not a scapegoat like you.” What was doubtlessly supposed to be a one-sided interrogation was quickly turned around, Junko is basically interrogating my father, at this point. He is rather disappointing, for a Kirigiri, even if I had to reconsider my opinion of him since the beginning of this.  
  
“ENOUGH! Look, I’m trying to help you out, here. If you admit to forging this evidence, we will make sure that you will get away scot-free. No charges will be filed, no ‘heads will have to roll’, you will get as much money as you demand, everything will be fine. Simply sign these documents here and-” Junko suddenly knocks over the table, countless papers flying through the air. She’s restrained by security personal almost immediately, this is disgusting…  
  
“FUCK. YOU! Stick ‘em up your ass! You wanna side with criminal scum, go ahead, your call. But keep me out of your dirty shit! You can’t touch me, if the prime witness disappears, you can bet your ass that Hope’s Peak is getting closed for good! Besides, do you really think I have no backup plan? If you do anything to me, a whole bunch of extra information will be released!” That is… I see. Junko had a dead man’s switch in place. I should have expected as much of her, she certainly was prepared for anything.  
  
“That is enough out of her, we have everything we needed. Kirigiri, how do you think we should handle this?” Another man walks in, I recognise him. One of the members of the Steering Committee, I suppose they wouldn’t have left such an important task to father. Junko looks like she’s about to pounce on him, though the security personal keeps her restrained, none too gently. Suddenly she stops struggling, her jaw dropping slightly.  
  
“Mukuro… what… what the heck are you doing here?” There’s genuine confusion in her voice as Mukuro enters the field of vision of the camera, that is a great question. What is Mukuro doing there? The right-hand woman of Ultimate Despair, so close to these happenings… that can’t be a mere coincidence, right?  
  
“You see, Ikusaba has been so kind as to let us know about your little plot. She also happened to provide us with a few documents you left in her care. She has been most helpful with the clean-up, I can assure you. As for Fujisaki, he has given up all his related documents as well and agreed to keep quiet about this issue. Your name was never officially revealed, so… what was that about a backup plan?” Junko’s face twists, going through countless emotions in mere seconds. That is… it’s true, Junko’s name wasn’t made official. In that case…  
  
“Mukuro… you, you’re joking, right? This is your big plan to break me out… right? Haha, you’re such a prankster… you really got me good. This isn’t for real, right?! We’ve been together for almost two years, doesn’t that mean anything to you?! ANSWER ME!” Mukuro doesn’t even flinch as Junko desperately screams at her, that is… how could she?! In spite of knowing that she is a part of Ultimate Despair, in spite of knowing just how many people she killed…  
  
“We bought her, plain and simple. That’s what mercenaries are like, or did you forget that? We happen to have a bit more pull than a stupid fashion girl that fancies herself a revolutionary. Enough with the senseless drama. Kirigiri, how do you propose we proceed?” That gloating piece of shit! I’m glad that I failed to save even one of these ugly old bastards! What happened here, at Hope’s Peak Academy… it wasn’t wrong. I’m starting to see it for what it is.  
  
“Leaving her alive would be too risky, I’m afraid. We will have to get rid of her, permanently. Still, simply doing away with her would be rather… wasteful. Seeing the talent she has displayed in this incident, I believe she will make a fine research subject. The Kamukura project may be concluded, but if an opportunity like this presents itself…” I can only stare at the screen in disbelief, this… it can’t be real. It can’t be! Who… who the hell is that man, calmly saying something that ridiculous?! He’s not my father, he’s not even the piece of shit that left the Kirigiri family! Who… what is that?!  
  
“Very well, most reasonable. Still, we have to make sure that there are no further unpleasant surprises down the line… I will ask Matsuda for some help. Don’t kill her until we are sure that she doesn’t know anything else, alright? You may use any means necessary.” In other words, torture. Junko simply stares at Mukuro, completely dumbfounded, desperately pleading with her through her eyes… “You have no objections, do you, Ikusaba?”  
  
“No. It’s just work, I don’t scrutinise the ethics of my employer, I only scrutinise their payment.” The video cuts off, I continue to stare at the screen. Mukuro, Chihiro… I see how it is now. Traitors, both of them. They deserve… I will consider it later. There are more files to go through on that CD, I try to open another one… password protected. Of course. That wasn’t enough, was it?! It’s never enough with the damned mastermind! She’s never satisfied with torturing me! Hm, a pop-up?  
  
‘Would you like to connect to the main network? Your most beloved bear in the whooole wide world wants to cheer you up, upupu~’ Grr… why would I want that?! I press ‘No’, obviously. ‘Are you sure about this decision? This adorable bear can open and close the shutters for you the easy way!’ … That is something worth considering, I suppose. It’s not as if giving the mastermind access to this unpopulated part of the school could do much harm, right? Besides, she could have easily done so herself, if she already placed the CD here. ‘Fine’  
  
“AAHAHAHA! Well, well, if it isn’t my favourite stick in the mud! Still, you’ve finally got some colour in your stupid pale face! Did you like your little present? Huh, huh?!” I frown, there are no cameras here, as far as I can see. Not that it really matters, I suppose. There would be hidden cameras by the Steering Committee to make sure that this puppet of a man would dance to their tune. I almost wish that they weren’t all dead already, so that…  
  
“What about the validity of that video? How do I know that this wasn’t simply cleverly edited from clips of the interrogation?!” That… has to be it, right? Right?!  
  
“Eh, fair enough… I can give you access to the whole interview, if you want. Really boring, I’d only make it through five minutes of that drama… but if you’ve got time to kill, there are worse movies out there! Still, if you don’t feel comfortable with taking our word for it… why not just ask daddy dearest? I’m sure he’d love to spoil you with some juicy stories from his past, hahahaha!” That’s… there’s no way I could do that. He just went up on my list of suspects by a lot. He knew that Mukuro was involved with Ultimate Despair, yet he let her near Junko? He suggested to do… such a thing to Junko?!  
  
“Open up the shutters for me, I need to… lie down.” I feel something akin to nausea, everything feels like it’s spinning… I want to forget about this. I want to lie down and sleep, I don’t even want to wake up…  
  
“Fine, fine, princess. Continue running away from the truth, like any great detective would!” I ignore his taunts and stumble through the corridors, my way back is a blur. Faces and places overlap and blur, I only want to see Junko, I want nothing else. I just need to see her, to know she’s safe, to have her keep me safe… when have I become so pathetic? I… I don’t know, I don’t care. I need her, I need her more than anyone or anything. I don’t want to think, I don’t want to figure anything else out, I want no new information, no new insight…  
  
“Oh, you’re back already, Kyouko? Hey, you doing okay? You look a bit pale…” Perhaps because I feel worse than ever. Even that video of Ultimate Despair as they slaughtered that family feels more like a pleasant slasher flick, in comparison. They were honest and genuine, they were… better than the goddamn Steering Committee, better than father, much better than Mukuro and Chihiro! The more I think about it, the more do I want to…!  
  
“It’s nothing, I’m just… tired. Hey, Junko, do you… do you mind if I… sleep with you, again? Like the other night, I…” She gently smiles at me, pulling me to the bed and lying down next to me, so warm, such a pleasant aroma, so radiant… I feel like I’m melting into her, like I could just forget all those things when I’m with her. I can be happy, when I’m not a detective, when I’m not with the people out there, with creatures like them…  
  
“Sure, no problem. I love you, after all… kyaah! I totally said that, huh? But… it’s fine, right? I, I mean it…” I let out a pleased sigh, none of that matters. All of that is out there, I can forget it in here, in my room, in our room…  
  
“I love you, too.”  
  
“Hey, you, you can’t just say that so casually, all of a sudden! After I finally went and said it, I… geez, you’re impossible, you know that?!” In spite of everything, I find myself smiling, yet again. No matter what happened in the past, we have… each other now.


	14. Mastermind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyouko decided to take matters into her own hands. If a detective can't solve the problem, a mastermind might.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a bit worried that this is too soon and sudden for Kyouko to take such drastic measures, but it was going to happen sooner or later regardless, right?

The cameras and conversations I listened in on were as boring as ever, Monokuma was no less annoying, but I mostly ignored him. The only thing out of the ordinary was the rusty circle Tanaka drew on the roof, still not washed away by any rain. The outside world certainly looks different from what I remember, dark reddish skies with scarlet lightning, rather than white or blue ones. Looking at the outside world like this makes for a stark contrast to the contained world of Hope’s Peak Academy. And yet, the cause of this drastic change is also locked in here with us.  
  
Perhaps it’s presumptuous to believe I could beat the mastermind, seeing how she changed the world itself just to fit her tastes, not unlike a malicious goddess. What could I hope to accomplish against someone that changed the face of the earth according to her whim, playing the laws of nature like an instrument? Even if I came face to face with her, I know that I couldn’t win. What might be a struggle for survival on my end is simply a game to her.  
  
I doubt even Sakura or Mukuro could do much against her, assuming they were on my side. No, I can’t rely on raw physical strength, especially not since Mukuro is on her side. If she had no weapons I might be able to rely on Sakura, but I doubt she could overwhelm Mukuro like this. Even if we all tried it together, Mukuro wouldn’t need more than a handful of bullets to kill us all. Outside of the game, we’re completely outmatched and there’s no telling if the mastermind is physically any weaker. But the mastermind is only playing with me, for now.  
  
If I could isolate her from Mukuro, would I stand a chance then? I have some experience with martial arts, obviously, but would that be enough to take her down? Would that be worth betting my only chance on? I have the script, with it, I can perfectly foresee Mukuro’s action for the day and Mukuro won’t deviate from what’s written there in the slightest, I verified as much already. But would the mastermind willingly give me a weapon I could use to defeat her?  
  
That much seems in line with her character, from what I could gather. For the sake of despair, the mastermind will build flaws into her own supposedly perfect plans. But is that truly one such flaw or merely another part of her design? I suppose that I will have to assume it’s the former, otherwise I’d have lost already. If this isn’t a weapon I can rely on, I’ll lose regardless. The script made me see as much, it perfectly predicted my next steps and general approach. It’s the only weapon I have, the only one I can rely on to take care of the greatest obstacle.  
  
Or perhaps my approach was wrong to begin with. I’m a detective, a worthless retrograde relict of a time before Ultimate Despair. And yet, it wasn’t the talent itself that was useless, it was the application of it that crippled me. Junko showed me as much. Anything can be translated into a case, an argument. My talent would be useless when confronting the mastermind, if I only react to her, my loss is a foregone conclusion. Even if I could convict her, no one could arrest her. Nothing I did so far has been unexpected for her, all of my useless moves were focused on the past, not the future. A childish prank like the notes just won’t do, it seems. That should have been obvious since the beginning, but I was too foolish to see that.  
  
The assumption that I was fighting a witch wasn’t too far off, from my prior position. She’s just closer to a goddess instead, omniscient and omnipotent, with only one weakness, specifically her own whims. She knew how I would respond to the information she presented me and I had no other way than to go along with her plan. However, that was wrong since the very beginning, the result of me defective training. My talent isn’t meant to be wasted on something useless like ‘finding out the truth’, I’m beginning to understand this now. Yes, my failure wasn’t that I wasn’t acting enough like a Kirigiri, it was that I acted too much like a Kirigiri, too much like grandfather, too much like father. Far too predictable.  
  
If I discard this identity, if I allow myself to do what I must do… then what? If I used a bit of ‘magic’ myself with the almighty weapon the mastermind gave me, would she still be able to beat me? Her talent and mine… assuming her talent is indeed that of the Ultimate Analyst, they might not be so different, all things considered. The main difference between us was the way we applied our talents, or rather the fact that I didn’t make use of mine. This, paired with the lack of information, was a crippling weakness, we never were evenly matched. I denied myself the ability to become her equal, it was my own fault and weakness.  
  
In that case, the solution should be painfully simple and obvious, only an idiotic detective couldn’t see that. The detective only beats a true mastermind in childish fiction, not in reality. If I want to beat the mastermind, I have to become the mastermind. That should be the solution, it would be reasonable to assume this. Indeed, that is the way forward. However, there’s one major problem with that ‘solution’. The mastermind has at least two allies while I have none. I’m all alone, I can’t pull Junko into this mess and there’s no one else who would be trustworthy or competent enough…  
  
I will need a few days to make plans. This is a problem I can’t overlook. However, with my new mindset and the information this recent video provided, that shouldn’t be a problem. I simply have to be the mastermind, I simply have to overcome her that way. I will become the X she so desperately craves!  
  
…  
  
I smile at Taka and Mondo as we meet in front of the gym, everything is ready. Mondo is telling me about how great Junko was to Taka and him when they were struggling with the administration of Hope’s Peak Academy, just as I thought he would. All it took was a little prompt and they danced like puppets on a string. Hina and Sakura are warming up in the dojo upstairs before going for a swim this morning, just like every other morning after breakfast. The last member of the trio, my target, goes ahead towards the gym on his own, just as I had expected.  
  
“Good morning, everyone!” Chihiro stops in front of the gym door, hurrying back towards the energetic voice as I silently curse… she usually stays in the dining hall until the last people trickle out. Still, that’s fine. There’s no reason to be concerned, everything is going according to plan. Junko has an appointment with Celeste for some card games in a few minutes. She will go there, or else be caught up in the distraction. Everything is fine, don’t worry… the only thing that isn’t fine is Chihiro happily looking at her and smiling, as if he didn’t betray her.  
  
“Ah, Junko. We were just talking abou- mmmgh!” She looks at us, adorably confused as Mondo puts his hand over Taka’s mouth in a non-too-subtle gesture. It’s rare for Mondo to have more sense of tact than… well, anyone else, but if there’s one person with even less of an understanding about social context and appropriate behaviour, it would have to be Taka. Those two were practically made for each other…  
  
“Hey, Kyouko. Were you planning to participate in the morning sport stuff or did you just want to ask those two some questions?” I smile, a calculated smile, a perfect copy of the smile I usually show her. The only thing that is different today is the context. Everything is going the way I wanted it to, everything will continue the way I want it to. Today I’ll hit the mastermind where it hurts. And then it will get easier. Then I can repay the mastermind for all those humiliations in full…  
  
“We were just discussing a few things about our time before we locked ourselves into this school. Times when the silly Steering Committee was the biggest of our worries. Isn’t that right, you two?” They nod, thinking I’d feel embarrassed about getting caught discussing Junko’s past with them. Perhaps I would have been, any other day. Today I’m more nervous about something else. Any time now, it should start any second now… it didn’t fail, did it?!  
  
“You imbeciles! Ikusaba, find out who was responsible for this! I expect their head within the next 10 minutes, on a silver platter!” I have to concentrate not to grin at the little prank I allowed myself with Byakuya’s clothes, here comes the distraction. Even all the way to the gym, we can hear his angry screams from the dormitories. Taka and Mondo exchange looks of understanding, nodding at each other before leaving the lobby of the gym.  
  
“Guys! Hey, don’t leave me alone!” Chihiro runs up to them, close to tears as his ‘bros’ try to leave him behind, I hurry past them. This would be my detective role, after all. I must play my role until the time comes. I’m supposed to be the detective, after all, not the mastermind…  
  
“Go ahead to the gym, we’ll catch up with you in a minute. Don’t worry, Togami is just having another fit.” ‘You don’t need to see this. You’re too innocent to get dragged into Togami’s personal crisis and despair.’ That’s the real message, even if no one would spell it out. Though Chihiro himself is hardly as innocent as he likes to pretend. I hurry ahead of the others, quickly moving towards the stairs. Togami is fuming, I have to bite back a huge grin as he screams in his pink suit, courtesy of some more paint from the art room.  
  
“What happened, Togami? That is a rather unusual way of dressing for you.” My delivery is perfectly deadpan as I put on as close to a genuinely confused look as I can get, it looks like the veins on his forehead are about to burst as he spins around to face me.  
  
“Why don’t you tell me that, Kirigiri? You’re supposed to be a detective, even if it hasn’t shown in the last few months or so!” I almost twitch at that insult, even if it’s true. I wasn’t able to prevent The Tragedy. However, that no longer concerns me. I’m no longer obsessed with that. I’m a new person, after all. I’m not a Kirigiri any longer. Today, that role will end. Today, I’ll overcome this despair and deal a heavy blow to the mastermind!  
  
“Gladly, if you could give me a bit more information about what happened.” Mondo bursts out laughing as soon as they arrive, almost tumbling back down the stairs, further enraging Togami as Taka seems one moment away from scolding Togami for his uniform. Good, in such a state, Togami is bound to make mistakes. Even if he’s only an insignificant little cog in my scheme for now, he might know more than I thought. In that case, having him slip up might be valuable. Not that it matters much, he shouldn’t have much of a connection to the mastermind.  
  
“Someone apparently thought that painting my suits while I was in the shower would be an amusing idea. I demand that the person responsible will be brought to justice! What are you waiting for, Ikusaba?! Move it!” Don’t grin, even if everything is fine, even if everything is going according to plan. Even if Togami looks like an enraged and puffed up flamingo, don’t laugh. I hope Junko will get here soon, she has to see this! The way he’s strutting through the hallway of the dormitories, glaring at anyone who dares to look is priceless. I’m glad that we’ll have a few pictures to celebrate this moment, it’s a memory to be cherished. Fitting, for such a significant day, though hardly the main event.  
  
“I, I’m sorry, I…” Mukuro bends over, leaning against the wall and gasping. I’m left to wonder whether the mastermind didn’t foresee the possibility that I might abuse the script for such purposes or if she welcomed it. Aconitum, or perhaps a more fitting name for something used against a member of Fenrir, wolfsbane. A concentrated tincture, a plant I was elated to find in the garden with Junko the other day. And now it mysteriously found its way into Mukuro’s meal, all too easy to predict. Her order was eating breakfast this morning, according to the script, I merely had to add the tincture to her meal while she was caught up in a conversation with Makoto. Naturally out of the line of sight of the cameras and other classmates, a perfect crime, as easy as that.  
  
“Mukuro? Hey, you alright? You don’t seem to be doing too hot, you… hey, what’s wrong?!” Mondo seems to hesitate, I hurry to her side. Her forehead is covered with sweat, her pupils dilated. She tries to reach for a hidden knife, staring at me with a complex expression, I think I can even find a hint of fear in her dark eyes. While I’d gladly relish the moment a bit longer, she rudely interrupts it by vomiting on the floor. I suppose that is justice, isn’t it, Mukuro? You didn’t hesitate for a moment to stab Junko in the back like this either, so it’s quite fitting that ‘betrayal’ would bring you death. The invincible soldier, killed by a little more than a shot glass of poison…  
  
“Take her to the infirmary, perhaps she suffers from food poisoning.” The fact that no Ultimate Doctor or Nurse attends this class is a nice bonus, the only person with adequate medical knowledge here… would be Byakuya and me. Amusingly, the person investigating this ‘incident’ will also be me. A good example of why separation of powers is necessary to mitigate corruption, regrettably unknowable to all the fools within these walls. There are only two wolves in this place now and Mukuro isn’t one of them, put down like the worthless dog she is. No, not even that. What is a dog, without loyalty?  
  
“Public displays of sickness are not acceptable in the hallways! Neither is running! I shall ensure that she arrives at the infirmary at a leisurely pace!” A leisurely pace will be all too painfully slow, but I’m sure Mukuro’s mind is only racing to her next order in a few hours, I wonder if the possibility that the mastermind did this even crosses her mind? That’s why she was discarded like this, I suppose. I’m certain the mastermind could have intervened, had she chosen to do so.  
  
“Yeah, right… you, uh, don’t mind, right, Mukuro? Hey, you hear me?” I suppose I shall accompany them and make sure that the poison finishes its job. Being the mastermind certainly was easier than I expected. It hardly required any effort, perhaps one hour in total. One hour, to cut a life by decades… certainly less time than an investigation takes. It’s all too easy, isn’t it? Or perhaps I should say two lives instead. Mukuro wasn’t my only target, after all. It will just take some time until the next body is discovered, most likely.  
  
“He-, help… HEEEELP!” I spin around at the door to the infirmary and freeze, what… what is he doing here?! I glare at him, he, he can’t be here. He should be, in the gym, he…  
  
“Chihiro?! Taka, you take care of Mukuro. What’s wrong?! Hey, hey, it’s fine, you don’t need to cry, it’s all good. Tell me what happened, yeah?” Mondo kneels down in front of Chihiro, putting a hand on his shoulder. Why is he here?! Why was he calling for help? Did my plan fail? I was certain that he would indeed go ahead to the gym aklone, I was certain about even the angle at which he would enter, I compared countless recordings… why is he still alive?!  
  
“Ju-… Junko, she pushed me… the, the vaulting box… I, I don’t, don’t get it, but… help already!” I jump down the stairs before the information even really registers. I tied the vaulting box to the ceiling with a jump rope, securing it with some fishing line from the storage room. It was meant to loosen if someone opened the door, swinging around like a pendulum and… it would have been enough for a small boy like Chihiro, right next to the wall. In that case…  
  
“JUNKO! Are, are you…?” I weakly call out, not quite daring to walk inside. After a few moments of dreadful hesitation, I enter, only to almost collapse. There, squeezed against a wall of vaulting boxes by another vaulting box, filled with additional weights… no… NOOOO! I run towards it, my detective senses already noticing the distinct smell of iron…  
  
“Kyou… ko. Ugh, what the… hell… was that?” I almost fall over myself as soon as I hear her voice, whether it’s from happiness or my sudden stop, I’m not sure. I carefully push the heavy vaulting box, Junko groans, her nose stained with blood, all the way down to her cardigan…  
  
“What the-?! MOVE IT!” Mondo roars as he pushes the vaulting box out of the way, too heavy for me to move on my own. I hug her almost right away, tears in my eyes. She, she wasn’t supposed be anywhere near this trap, and yet, I… I almost…  
  
“Can… can you move? Should I…” Call an ambulance? Haha… what a silly thought, in this cursed school. I can’t rely on anyone else, I have to take care of it myself. The worst possibility I could think of would be a fractured neck, keeping her still until we figure out the extend of her injuries will be the most important thing. I hesitantly let go of her, not wanting to risk moving her in a bad way. I can only hope I didn’t carelessly endanger her just now by hugging her…  
  
“Just peachy… my head is killing me. And my legs, crap…” I carefully investigate the contraption I prepared this night. It worked exactly how I planned it, the heavy vaulting box swinging down with enough force to rival a slow car, crushing the victim right against the wall. The only problem was that it wasn’t Chihiro who was crushed… did that little bastard know about my plan, somehow?! Did the mastermind interfere? I grit my teeth.  
  
“We’ll get you to the nurse’s office, it’s right around the corner. Don’t worry, it’s going to be fine, it’s all going to be fine…” Perhaps it was arrogant of me to believe I could challenge a malevolent goddess without consequence. The message seems clear, ‘mess with mine and I’ll mess with yours’. If… if Mukuro were to die, then…! Cold sweat starts covering my entire body, aconitum poisoning is very difficult to treat. Even if there is some medicine in the nurse’s office, I made sure to be… generous with the concentration.  
  
“The fuck… THE FUCK HAPPENED HERE?!” Mondo roars as he holds on to the vaulting box, Junko winces slightly. Still, she’s in remarkably good condition, considering the sheer amount of force she was hit with. Especially with her slender body, I would have expected a lot more blood and broken bones, but I can see nothing that would indicate any external injuries, disregarding her bleeding nose. I could understand this if it had been Sakura or Mondo, but Junko? She must have been remarkably lucky not to get killed on the spot, let alone stay uninjured. I hope Mondo can keep the vaulting box in place for a bit longer, it is very heavy…  
  
“Stay there, Mondo, we can’t touch her. She might have spinal injuries or…” I’m cut off as Junko suddenly jumps up with a graceful movement that would have probably put Owari Akane in her prime to shame. Rubbing her bloody nose, moving her head from side to side with a few cracks… I’m left speechless. Incredibly relieved, but also rather confused. It slightly alleviates any fears of serious injuries, but I definitely will examine her closely in the nurse’s office.  
  
“Man, that was… something. Not sure what it was, but it hit like a truck! I think I’ll gooo back to our room, feelin’ a li’l woozy…” Suddenly collapsing again, I barely manage to catch her! She isn’t fine at all… I can’t believe how reckless she was! She seems to have lost consciousness again, I quickly lift her into my arms and take her to the nurse’s office, slightly wincing at the crashing sound as Mondo is finally allowed to release the vaulting box. Mukuro is already lying on a sickbed, clutching her stomach, her breathing laboured and raspy.  
  
“Kyouko?! What, what happened?!” Makoto seems incredibly worried about both of them, though I couldn’t care less about whether Mukuro survives. Judging by the dosage, she should have died already, but she still seems to be kicking. A shame, perhaps it was foolish to believe I could be rid of her so easily. She is the Ultimate Soldier, so some resistance to poisonous substances might be expected. Or perhaps she didn’t finish breakfast? I just have to make the best out of this mess.  
  
“It’s pretty clear that it wasn’t an accident. And, considering the timing, Mukuro’s apparent illness probably isn’t natural either… Makoto, gather everyone in the lobby of the gym, but don’t let them enter. I must investigate the scene.” That should give me a good opportunity to dispose of any evidence that might point my way, if I was careless enough to leave any. I doubt it, but I was rather excited, this was my first scheme, after all. Still, as the ‘detective’, I’m in a perfect position to manipulate the investigation however I please. I doubt they’ll be smart enough to notice this. Byakuya will, but I doubt he’ll be able to convince the others of anything. Perhaps Celeste…  
  
“Um, okay, but Mukuro…” I wave him away.  
  
“I’ll take a look at her, unless you have more medical knowledge than I do? And you, Taka, Mondo… don’t stand around in my way, guard the entrance to the gym.” Sighing in a defeated way, they all leave. I quickly check the shelves for any medicine that might help Mukuro, I suppose some pain killers and activated charcoal is the best we have. I turn her on face up, she doesn’t offer much resistance. After examining her, I give her the activated charcoal. If she’s lucky, she might make it. I rather wouldn’t do this, but the risk is too high.  
  
“Why… are you, helping me? What did you… do to her?” She obviously suspects me, however… does she have any evidence, I wonder?  
  
“What are you talking about? Regardless of our… ahem, differences, we’re still classmates. Killing you wouldn’t benefit me, it would only increase chaos, which in turn would serve the mastermind. I’m as interested in who was responsible for this as anyone else. Seeing how Junko was one of the victims, even more so than most, I would argue.” The lies flawlessly escape my mouth, I’m hardly a stranger to lying. Still, it surprises me how easily my trained expression covers my face. Mukuro seems to become completely rattled, she apparently can’t tell if I’m lying or not. Good.  
  
“Who… who did this? Why, why us? Why… her?” I take a towel to wipe off her sweat, perhaps I can still salvage this situation. Getting Mukuro to trust me, to have her help against the ‘second mastermind’… I wonder if that’s possible. Regardless, I have to hope that she makes it. If she dies, I don’t doubt that the true mastermind will make another attempt at Junko’s life out of revenge. The detective in me would have wanted to use that situation, to use Junko as bait… I don’t. That was probably the message, she must have manipulated Junko in order to save Chihiro. Chihiro, who supposedly helped the Mastermind unwittingly, who betrayed Junko just as readily…  
  
“If I had to guess, the motive must have been your involvement in The Tragedy. I would assume that someone discovered your identity and did it for that reason. As to why Junko was targeted, I believe the most likely explanation would be that they either wanted to attack me or targeted her for her role in The Tragedy.” None of this is a lie, technically. However, thinking about it again… all of the evidence I have gathered so far could apply to Chihiro just as well. It would be painfully obvious, especially with the ‘coded’ message they left me, but does the mastermind have any reason to see me as a threat? Perhaps this message referred to the gender binary and his undefined value in it, as a crossdresser. X, cross, huh? Well, that’s probably not it. Besides, the mastermind is a biological female, according to what I know.  
  
“How… did you know? About the…”  
  
“The activated charcoal? Merely a lucky guess, if it indeed works, your symptoms were pretty broad and could have been caused by any number of substances. A fair amount of poison can be absorbed and neutralised by reacting with it and unlike other medication, the chance of harmful side effects is very low. You most likely got poisoned during breakfast, so there was still hope for it to work. Or did you suffer any external injuries this morning?” She shakes her head, her pupils darting around the room, her stomach grumbling unpleasantly as she grasps it again.  
  
“T-, toilet, I need…” With a sigh, I help her up and let her lean on my shoulder. It certainly wouldn’t have been a clean death, quite the messy affair, aconitum poisoning. Still, I can’t have her soiling herself in the same room as Junko. As soon as I’ve made sure Junko is fine, I will move her back to my room, I rather wouldn’t leave her with Mukuro, especially not unsupervised.  
  
“Hey, Hina… could you do me a favour and help Mukuro out?” Since she’s jogging through the hallways towards the gym, I might as well get her to take care of this. I doubt Mukuro would do anything to Junko, seeing how the mastermind already gave me her warning, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. As she is right now, Hina would be more than capable of handling Mukuro and I’m fairly certain that she isn’t the mastermind. As much as I’d prefer to stay with Junko myself, I have to get this situation under control.  
  
“Um, sure… what is going on, though? Naegi suddenly stumbled into the pool and babbled something about assembling in the gym? He seemed pretty anxious.” Yes, Makoto isn’t the best asset. Still, he did his job, by the looks of it, and his genuine nature makes him useful.  
  
“Don’t worry about it for now, just take care of Mukuro and Junko. Come and get me if either of them get worse. Sakura will surely fill you in later.” I don’t pay further attention to her complaints, I have important tasks to take care of. I have to make the best of this situation, it’s time to declare war on the mastermind. No more playing detective, I fully intend to go all out against her now. With her closest ally out of commission, she is no longer untouchable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it regardless, Kyouko didn't do a full 180°, but I hope prior chapters have sufficiently confirmed her helplessness in the current situation and shown why she would go to such extremes to remove who she considers the biggest threats, on top of having a personal motive to take revenge against the two of them. Poor Chihiro, though he got away with the shock of his life and feeling guilty for how his weakness caused Junko to get hurt in his stead... um, never mind, poor Chihiro.
> 
> Also noted a glaring plothole in some earlier chapter where Kyouko was hiding one of the notes in the 2nd floor dormitories, whereas last chapter it was stated that this location was closed off the whole time... fixed it, the note was in the bathhouse lockers and 2nd floor dormitories were closed off the whole time. Sorry if anyone noticed and felt confused by that. I'll look through some more of the older chapters and see to it that this error doesn't come up elsewhere.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyouko plans to take over the school, has her father 'arrested' and enters an uneasy alliance with Mukuro.

“Kyouko, I gathered everyone, um… no one has been to the gym yet.” Makoto was waiting for me at the door to the lobby of the gym, I nod. That’s good. If possible, I’d rather not have anyone else investigate the crime scene. I can direct the flow of information that way, the biggest problem of this whole investigation will be eliminated. I will cripple her abilities, step by step, and then I will topple her. I step into the lobby, full of confidence.  
  
“Everyone, I’m sure you have a lot of questions and I will do my best to address them. Let me start by explaining the situation. There were two attempted assassinations.” A number of loud gasps, Toko starts screeching. I raise my voice to bring back order. “Silence! Attempted assassinations, not successful ones. The targets were presumably Mukuro and Chihiro, though Junko got caught up in the trap that was meant for Chihiro. They are still recovering, but they will survive.”  
  
“Who… who the fuck did that?! GIVE ME THE NAME!” Mondo roars furiously, but I don’t feel intimidated. I’m sure I could incapacitate him, if it became necessary. Besides, now more than ever, I have to show confidence and leadership. The mastermind shall see what she has done. I’m not the same impassive Kirigiri that I used to be. I’m her equal, no, I’ll exceed her! Only a little while longer, playing my old role...  
  
“I’m not entirely sure, though I have some suspicions. As of yet, I would rather keep those to myself and give a detailed report on the crimes after a thorough investigation. However, our primary concern has to be preventing further attacks. As such… I would strongly suggest new rules.” A few murmurs, some in agreement, others obviously not very open to the idea. Still, this way I can severely limit the movements of the mastermind. Another crippling blow to their numerous advantages, I will slowly corner them like this.  
  
“And who declared you our leader, Kirigiri? If I remember it correctly, we have a quasi-democratic approach to rules.” Togami is right, we don’t have a lot of rules regardless. We didn’t really need any so far, no one attempted any serious crimes and we only ever had to solve mild disagreements, there was no need to worry about violent crimes so far. However, that has changed now.  
  
“I’m merely suggesting something, we can vote on the concrete measures. Now, is anyone opposed to new rules on principle, in the face of this development?” Togami lifts his hand, Toko hastily follows, Mondo seems a bit hesitant, but that’s already the amount of opposition. Good, a bit of disagreement is healthy for the illusion of choice.  
  
“This is a farce, Kirigiri. We can’t have a proper vote with so many people missing.” Togami seems to be intent on opposing me, ironically that makes him the ‘good guy’, in this situation. I intent to limit certain freedoms, quite severely. But if discussions with Junko have taught me one thing, it’s that the framing can be more important than the actual measures. She made me see quite a few things in a new light, after all. If I frame my proposals as reasonable and in the best interest of everyone, he will have a difficult time rallying people against me, especially considering his personality and the resulting lack of support.  
  
“Certainly, every voice counts, but they can still voice their misgivings afterwards, if they have any. And even with three people missing, we can settle for some preliminary rules and leave controversial ones that would be tipped by additional votes for later. Any disagreements so far?” I can’t believe I’m in the process of establishing a corrupt system. How the times have changed… however, I won’t be able to beat the mastermind by playing fair. I need to do everything within my power and a corrupt system is a lot faster than the alternative, if nothing else.  
  
“Let’s get this over with. What rules do you propose?” Togami is clearly contrite, he has some knowledge about this and can probably see through what is taking place here. Still, he lost the first vote, making subsequent votes more difficult for him to win. Humans are rather simple creatures, after all. They don’t like re-evaluating their choices, rather clinging to a wrong one than admitting it was indeed wrong. Very well, let’s see how Togami will handle this.  
  
“First of all, the only way for this entire mess to come about was for the perpetrator to be unsupervised. I will check the cameras later, but I’m sure it won’t be so easy. As such, I would propose that we come together as groups and spend our time together. You can choose your groups, but for this to work, you may not leave the room your group is in alone.” This is a fairly extreme measure, but Togami, fool that he is, arrogantly snorts and presents himself poorly. As if the pink collar poking out of his buttoned up jacket wouldn't do enough of that already. The others will want to distance themselves from his positions, simply so that they won’t be associated with his behaviour. For all his talent with management and numbers, he actively hurts his own charisma with his stupid and arrogant presentation. All the better for me.  
  
“Rejected. For your ridiculous proposal to work, these groups would have to stay together day and night. Is anyone here truly willing to go to such extremes? If we are not, then the proposal itself is useless.” This seems to sway some people in his favour, it is a rather extreme proposal. If it doesn’t get the votes, I can go back to a softer proposal with better chances of success. If I do get enough votes, however…  
  
“Indeed, I won’t deny this. Still, the additional security should make another attack as good as impossible. It’s merely a suggestion for optimal security. The perpetrator would be unable to prepare further crimes and being in a group would guarantee that there are always enough people to stop them. The choice is yours. Lift your hands if you are in favour of this model.” I lift my own hand, Makoto, father and Hiro follow almost immediately. Sakura is hesitant, but Chihiro and Taka lift their hands, followed by Mondo. Sayaka and Leon as well, and finally, Toko and Hifumi, though I’d imagine their thoughts on this decision are very different from ours, judging by their lecherous staring…  
  
“This is certainly a majority. 11 out of 17. Of course, these regulations would only be in place until the perpetrator is caught.” Celeste, Togami and Sakura were the only ones present who disagreed, even with the three in the infirmary, they wouldn’t get anywhere close to a majority.  
  
“Well, this is certainly troublesome. Kyouko, may I ask you what you would do with anyone who doesn’t comply? A rule is only as reliable as its enforcement, after all.” Celeste looks at me innocently enough, but there’s a rather sharp accusation in that sentence as well. She recognises the threat of my attempt to take power and is unsure as to whether she’d benefit more from opposing or supporting me. Getting her on my side would help quite a bit…  
  
“I don’t intent to declare myself the dictator here. I merely suggest a rule all of us, myself included, should follow. If you reject it, you will do so at the cost of trust, but there will be no punishment, just as there are no designated punishments for other crimes, currently.” We didn’t have to deal with crimes, so these questions never came up. Celeste smiles sweetly, raising her hand as well. She understands the value of trust here, better than a certain other idiot…  
  
“Then don’t expect me to follow your idiotic rules, see where they get you.” Togami snorts derisively and leaves, Toko following him. Quite the sore loser, isn’t he? Still, the makes further voting rather pointless. 3 out of 17 is still manageable, but 5? *Sigh*  
  
“Perhaps it would be best if we all sleep over this and resume tomorrow. Hopefully Mukuro and Junko will be able to join us then, just like Hina. Still, I must ask you not to disturb the gym, the crime scene. I will investigate it until tomorrow, perhaps no measures will be necessary then.” This isn’t great, but I’m afraid I will have to accept it, for now. I’d rather have proceeded to vote without Mukuro, who would have supported the mastermind. This also gives the mastermind a chance to react, I’d rather have overwhelmed her without giving her a chance to act. Still, if I push this issue too strongly, I’ll indeed be seen as a dictator and that would turn the mostly neutral majority against me.  
  
“Kyouko… are you sure this is a good idea? I mean-” I glare at my father with barely restrained hostility, I haven’t forgotten what he has done to Junko. I’m willing to forget Mukuro and Chihiro for the time being, their actions were reprehensible, but the mastermind is protecting them. Their participation was rather passive to begin with, cowardice and greed, those would be their sins. My own father, however…  
  
“I’m sure I can do a better job of leading people than you could ever hope to.” He visibly flinches, good. The mastermind manipulated me into thinking that he was anything other than worthless scum with the recorded call from the beginning and we spend more time together in these last few weeks than we did since he left, but that was only to make me feel more despair, ultimately. However, that plan didn’t succeed. I rather feel vindicated now, my previous assessment of him wasn’t off. It was my assessment of grandfather that was off, but that changes nothing about the fact that he’s scum.  
  
“Come on, that’s… fair enough, I suppose. Yes, a lot of this is on my hands and I will not pretend otherwise. I was wrong, I will admit that. However, that doesn’t make you right.” I glare at him, he really thinks he can challenge me? If I were to show the others that video, I wonder what would happen to him? He’s powerless, now more so than ever. Anyone would rather trust me than him, if it came to that.  
  
“What exactly am I doing wrong? You ought to have a lot of experience with doing things wrong, after all.” I don’t allow a tinge of the warmth that came over me when we talked before to enter my voice, I was a fool for believing that my father could be any better than I thought he was. Perhaps he wasn’t guilty when it came to leaving me, leaving the family, but he hid a sin that was heavier than any of that could have been.  
  
“It’s Junko, isn’t it? She is inciting you against me, just like I feared she would! You are smarter than that, you have to see-” I angrily snarl at him, so that’s what it was all about! That explains his hesitance and panic around Junko, that explains his aversion to our relationship. It wasn’t that he thought it might be bad for me, it was that he thought it would be bad for his own worthless self!  
  
“I’m sorry, but someone like you doesn’t have any right to talk her down like that. Junko hasn’t said a single bad thing about you, in spite of having every right to do so.” I hold his gaze, he is the first to break eye contact and look down. He knows that I know. Perhaps I shouldn’t have revealed as much, but I don’t feel like keeping up the charade.  
  
“Mukuro… of course. Listen to me, Kyouko, I didn’t want to do any of that! I was set up, I had no other choice but to-”  
  
“Please, do continue. You had no other choice but…?” I turn around, glaring angrily at one very smug and self-satisfied Togami Byakura. Perhaps we shouldn’t have talked like this in a relatively public place, I have to admit as much.  
  
“I’m interrogating a suspect, Togami. I would appreciate it if you didn’t meddle in my affairs.” He must have concluded that my father was the perpetrator, judging by the way he stares at me. And in that case, he would believe me to be a conspirator.  
  
“That sounded an awful lot like a confession to me. But I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for it, right?” I see the game we’re playing, Togami. You're even more of an idiot than I thought you were, if you think that this will work.  
  
“Sakura! Come here.” I call her over, she raises an eyebrow, but complies. Did he honestly think that he could trap me like this? “Please, escort my father to his office and barricade the door. As of now, he is the prime suspect in my investigation.”  
  
“You, you want me to-”  
  
“I want you to detain him, didn’t I make myself clear?” All the colour drains from my father’s face and Togami’s confident grin crumbles like the poor bluff that it was. It’s satisfying, I have to admit that, very much so. I will also be able to test whether my father knows about the vents. This will work out nicely, I suppose.  
  
“You’re only doing this because I caught you, Kirigiri! Don’t think you can get away so easily! I’m on to you, you, you snake in the grass!” He’s making a scene… *Sigh* Perhaps you would be on to something, Togami, if you weren’t such an incredible idiot. He’s fuming and shouting, but I merely look at him, cold and indifferent. It’s clear to everyone that he is in the wrong, with the exception of Toko, no one is on his side.  
  
“Is that so, Togami? Would you want to accompany my father, in that case? You were the next suspect on my list. It would be quite reasonable to assume that you caused the commotion this morning to lure us away from the gym. And who would have been in a better position to poison Mukuro? Just say the word and you can have some quality time together.” Togami really isn’t aware of the situation he has found himself in, is he? A witch hunt has begun and I’m the inquisitor. If I call out the witch, the mob will be all too happy to comply. Simply because they want a strong and reliable leader, in times of superstition and fear. It’s laughable, really.  
  
“You wouldn’t dare! Oogami, are you really going to stand for this?! What about you, Naegi? Ludenberg, you know all too well that you will be next, if we don’t stop this now!” His expression slowly twists and changes as he realises what I knew all along. Indeed, trust is the currency of this game and even if I don’t have an unlimited and unconditional supply of it, I still have far more than him. Perhaps my stock value was even below his, initially, but ever since everyone assumed I was with Junko, my value skyrocketed.  
  
“I will give you the benefit of the doubt, Togami. You may move around freely, disregarding the gym, but I will have to sweep your room. In fact, it may be for the best if I sweep all the rooms. Are there any complaints?” Celeste shows me a questioning look, I slightly nod my head. She smiles, I have little reason to search her room. I already did so, after all. This is rather in character for the detective. And a nice humiliation for Togami, little more.  
  
“What, we really gotta have a stupid investigation in class as well? The fuck is up with that?!” Mondo… well, he obviously isn’t pleased with any of this, but he’s easy enough to handle.  
  
“It’s your choice. If you rather wouldn’t find out who tried to kill Chihiro, I can forgo a proper investigation. Is that what you want?” He deflates like a balloon, shortly before puffing up with rage again. Still, he’s indeed simple-minded and easy to control.  
  
“Fuck, fuck, FUCK! Fine, go wherever the fuck you have to, but find the bastard that was behind this!” Togami seems to be the only one really opposed to having his room searched, further damaging his own credibility and trust because of his foolish pride. If trust were a currency, Togami could file for bankruptcy now. It still amazes me how someone with keen business senses couldn’t see such a simple truth, the stock market itself is ultimately nothing but trust as well. But he seems to be too foolish to apply his talent outside of the box. Well, so was I, until recently.  
  
“There… there is no guarantee that it was one of us, right? I mean, it, it could have been someone else, right?! Maybe there’s some secret entrance and a member of Ultimate Despair got in or something!” Makoto is still rather naive, he should really know better. We made sure that there was no way to come in here unnoticed, we sealed this place up ourselves, after all. Still, that naive idea might have its uses, it would certainly decrease paranoia and hostilities within the group.  
  
“I can’t make any definitive statements until I’m done with my investigation.” Let them hope, it’s not like the results of the investigation matter. I can claim whatever I want to and they would accept it, with a few fabricated pieces of evidence. Perhaps Togami wouldn’t, but he doesn’t have the sway to turn anyone against me, at this point. As such, it will be better not to frame him. He can continue to play the opposition, he is very convenient for me, after all.  
  
“Mark my words, Kirigiri. This will have consequences!” Let him scream, that’s all he’s good for. Mukuro isn’t his ally and Toko is unreliable, if you’re being generous. His threats mean nothing to me. He doesn’t have a financial empire to back him, he only has his overblown ego now. I ignore him and leave, hopefully Junko is feeling better now. Treating her would be difficult. I might be able to diagnose her, but treating any internal injuries would exceed my abilities by far.  
  
I silently open the door, Hina is sitting on a chair with a magazine, a magazine with a close-up shot of Junko’s face on the cover. There are a lot of those, not just fashion magazines, since I started paying attention. And her internet popularity and presence even exceeded her popularity in traditional media, according to what I heard. She’s still lying on the bed and sleeping, by the looks of it, Mukuro groans occasionally on the other bed. Hina silently waves at me, with a faint smile.  
  
“You can ask Sakura for the details of the conference, I will watch over them for a bit. Ask Sayaka if she could watch over them later. Did anything happen while I was gone?” I speak quietly, not wanting to wake Junko up. Her breathing is even, she doesn’t seem to feel any pain. I suppose I’ll have to wait for now, but it’s hopefully just a concussion at worst, nothing too serious.  
  
“Junko was awake for a bit, I gave her some aspirin and water. She complained about her headache, but was mostly fine, I think?” A shame I wasn’t there. Still, it’s most likely just a minor concussion, she wasn’t unconscious for more than 10 minutes, at most. That’s a relief. I still can’t believe that the mastermind managed to foresee this and twist my plan in such a way, to turn it against the one… the one I love. By my own trap…  
  
“Thank you, please be quiet, if you come to visit. She will appreciate the quiet for a bit, I believe.” Hina pouts slightly, as if she isn’t prone to excitedly raise her voice and move around a lot, dragging others with her. Granted, she never did so with Celeste or myself, but Junko is definitely considered part of her group of friends. I look after her as she leaves and closes the door, then I turn my attention to Junko. She seems to sleep peacefully, I take Hina’s former seat. Those beds could definitely be more comfortable, by the looks of it. Maybe that was meant to deter students from skipping classes. Then again, classes weren’t mandatory to begin with…  
  
“Mukuro. You’re awake, aren’t you?” She groans, turning around to look at me with hazy eyes. She’s drenched in sweat, her short hair clinging to her skull, but she seems to be getting better, ever so slowly. She sits up after a bit, visibly exhausted. It’s amazing, what such a small dose of poison can do to an otherwise invincible opponent. Still, I have come to realise the errors of my ways. I struck prematurely, Mukuro was never truly meant to be an obstacle for me, she was a source of information that I almost eliminated myself. I almost got myself a ‘game over’, I can’t believe I overlooked that…  
  
“What… is it?”  
  
“We’ve decided to move around in groups, for the most part. You and Junko will be in my group, understood?” She will not obstruct me, doing so would violate her orders. And she will be unable to communicate with the mastermind, I will always know who she is talking to and what she’s doing. No more slipping away at night, no more interferences. Indeed, she is dangerous as an enemy, but she isn’t an enemy. If the mastermind intended to use her, we wouldn’t be alive now. If Mukuro had her way, we would be dead already. The only reason we’re still alive is because the mastermind ordered it. It could be said that we only live because there’s a second ‘Ultimate Despair’.  
  
“That would go against my orders. I’m afraid I can’t… comply.” She winces as she holds her stomach, I already assumed as much. Her orders are dictated by the script, after all.  
  
“Are you able to stand? There’s something I’d like to discuss.” A small groan, but she nods. I pull her up and get her arm over my shoulder, she’s surprisingly well. Hardly in any condition to fight, but she still manages to stagger along. I take her to the A/V room, letting her sit down right away. I wouldn’t want Junko to accidentally hear anything about this, after all. I lock the door behind us and block it with another chair, just in case anyone else came here. “What if the mastermind agreed to retract her order? Would that be enough to convince you?”  
  
“She wouldn’t, seeing how doing so… would give you ‘meta hints’. I was ordered not to contact her. Unless you find out her identity… it’s impossible.” Hm, it would be. Still, there’s a little something I’d like to try. A bit of a power play, one might say.  
  
“Monokuma… say, are you above Mukuro, when it comes to rank?” She raises an eyebrow, glaring at me somewhat angrily. The big screen in the back comes alive, displaying one big Monokuma head, looking even more angry than Mukuro.  
  
“You dare compare me to that failure?! She couldn’t brush her teeth without being ordered to, and you think she can pull rank on me?! The only one who gets to order me around is the actual mastermind herself, I’ll have you know, not some cheap Chinese knock-off! Seriously, if we tried to sell her, we’d have to refund everyone and still get sued to oblivion!” … Moving on.  
  
“Is that so? Then it shouldn’t be a problem if you give her an order to stay in my group. Otherwise I will just have to assume that your mouth is the only big thing about you. You said it yourself, you would help me with my investigation” His face on the screen comes closer, some veins showing on his forehead. He’s getting played, I wonder if the mastermind accounted for that. He seems rather silly, so I wonder if that can be abused for my own advantage.  
  
“You know what?! Fine! Have it your way, damn it! If that’s how you want to play, go ahead! We never wanted her, so you can have her and see how useless she is for yourself! Just to be clear though… no refunds!” Hm, that was surprisingly easy. Mukuro certainly doesn’t seem happy about it, but this is rather interesting. For the right-hand woman of the mastermind to get ordered around by a silly bear mascot… I wonder if her role wasn’t exaggerated before.  
  
“But, Monokuma, this is dangerous! If I can’t carry out the script, then…!” She stumbles backwards, falling off her chair, just in time as a tile in the ceiling suddenly came lose and swung at her with almost assuredly lethal force… when was this implemented? At least I never heard of such additions to the security system. Then again, with how shady the Steering Committee was, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was their idea. Still, it’s good to know about the possibility of traps like this one…  
  
“’But, Monokuma, I can’t hear you while sobbing about my miserable excuse of an existence!’ Well, don’t worry, princess, if I hear you questioning my orders again, your pathetic existence will be the least of your worries, are we clear?!” She flinches, the sudden movement apparently causing her pain to return in full force. I help her up, this was most interesting. Seeing them interact like this makes me wonder more than ever why she would willingly subject herself to this. Is she doing so willingly? There are a lot of weak points I can try to exploit.  
  
“Just to be clear, you won’t mind if I order Mukuro around, regarding anything that doesn’t endanger the identity of the mastermind, right?” He deflates slightly, sighing and shaking his head in a disappointed way. He is meant to provoke, but I don’t care, not at this point. He can’t touch the present me. He can poke holes in my constructed image of the past, but that’s already the extent of his power over me, of the power the mastermind has over me. If I stay focused on the presence and future, they will find it much more difficult to attack me. I’m not the detective, not at this point. I will cut my ties to the past, I can finally look forward.  
  
“Sorry, did you say you need a hearing aid? SHE IS YOURS! Take her, throw her into the incinerator, use her as a maid… I don’t give a damn! She was useless to begin with!” I smile discreetly, seeing the anguish on Mukuro’s face. Monokuma is inciting her, all but urging her to betray the mastermind. This is merely a push, a desperate plea for Mukuro to act outside of her predicted parameters. It’s Mukuro that fails to understand this. The mastermind loves her, that’s why she wants to be betrayed by her. There’s a fundamental misunderstanding between them. One I can exploit.  
  
“Well, I’m looking forward to working with you, Mukuro.” I don’t understand their background yet, not entirely, but I can reconstruct it well enough. The mastermind craves two things she considers to be one and the same, despair and the unknown, more so than anything else. Mukuro will follow any order she is given. This is the complete opposite of the two greatest cravings of the mastermind. Mukuro can only disappoint the mastermind, because of her natural disposition, just as the mastermind can only despise Mukuro, because of her natural disposition.  
  
“Can’t say I am. Still… I will follow my orders.” It baffles me as well, that Mukuro fails to realise this. The mastermind will never be happy with her, unless she stopped following orders and obstructed her. Perhaps that’s the reason why the mastermind is playing such a game with me, because I oppose her, because she considers me capable of giving her a taste of despair. Doubtlessly she would enjoy corrupting or destroying me just as well, but she doesn’t care for victory. Either option will grant her despair, she wins regardless… it’s frustrating, but that’s the kind of person she appears to be.  
  
“Why do you work for the mastermind? If Monokuma’s rant just now made anything clear, it’s that she despises you.” Having Mukuro on my side would be perfect, though I doubt that will happen. If the mastermind herself couldn’t break Mukuro’s stubborn loyalty, I doubt I will make much more progress. Still, getting to keep an eye on her is still invaluable. The only downside would be that I can’t sneak away myself unnoticed…  
  
“She is my commander… and in spite of everything, she loves me. She found me, she ordered me to return. I cannot deny her.” Tragically, Mukuro isn’t wrong about any of that. She simply fails to draw the right conclusion from the facts she knows. Would it be cheating, to reveal this to her? Would the mastermind consider that a forbidden move? Perhaps it’s too early for that. We might as well be strangers, we barely know each other. She has little reason to trust me, yet.  
  
“Let’s return. I wouldn’t want to keep you up for too long, in your current state.” She groans as I help her up, but she will survive. It’s been quite some time since she ingested the poison, so the mastermind shouldn’t retaliate again. Perhaps I was careless, prematurely attacking because of my childish pride in finding something to hurt the mastermind with. This won’t work again. Still, as long as Junko is safe, I’d gladly give anything else. What would beating the mastermind matter, if I lost Junko?  
  
“The… bathroom, please.” I nod, taking her there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting closer to the end, huh? Sorry for the late update!


End file.
